Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith

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Poem: "Redrawing the Lines"

Here is today's freebie poem, inspired by kyleri.


Redrawing the Lines


Thou art God.
Thou art Goddess.

Thus the lines are drawn,
men in this circle,
women in that circle.

Where do I stand?
When do I stand there?
What do I wear while I'm doing that?

I am neither here nor there,
this nor that.  I am as much
male as female,
feminine as masculine.

In what aspect of the Divine
do I see my reflection?

"Ahey, sister," says Trickster,
settling on my left shoulder.
He is wearing a loud pink skirt
and a brassiere stuffed with flowers.

"Ahey, brother," says Trickster,
settling on my right shoulder.
She is wearing leather pants
and a huge phallus made of paisley cloth.

He hands me a pointed stick.
"It's time to draw your own lines,"
he says, so I scratch a circle
around my bare feet.

She hands me a drum.
"It's time to dance to your own beat,"
she says, so I flatten my hand on the head
and make music.

Soon all of the men and women
are staring
at my divine madness.

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, fishbowl, gender studies, paganism, poem, poetry, reading, spirituality, writing
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  • 34 comments
I read this and my mind drifts off to descriptions of the shamans of the Siberian Inuit, from whence we got the term 'shaman' to begin with. Many of these wore copper plates depicting both male and female sexual attributes, showing that they were neither sex and both. This gender fluidity is apparent in many shamanistic traditions around the globe. This poem fits well. :)

And what an awesome depiction of Trickster, BTW! :D
>>This gender fluidity is apparent in many shamanistic traditions around the globe. <<

I've seen that, yes, and it's quite useful.

>>And what an awesome depiction of Trickster, BTW! :D <<

Yay! I like Trickster, in various forms.

Re: Yes...

the_vulture

June 10 2011, 04:31:02 UTC 10 years ago Edited:  June 10 2011, 04:31:45 UTC

'Course, now I'm thinking Anansi, and then Bugs Bunny (ya know, as Brer Rabbit is related to both in different ways), and Bugs, well, he does an awful lot of cross dressing, doesn't he? XD
>>'Course, now I'm thinking Anansi, and then Bugs Bunny (ya know, as Brer Rabbit is related to both in different ways),<<

Sooth, and very few people know that.

>> and Bugs, well, he does an awful lot of cross dressing, doesn't he? XD <<

Oh yes. It's one of the cooler aspects of his Trickster personality. We've actually invoked Looney Tunes characters in ritual before.
"We've actually invoked Looney Tunes characters in ritual before."


Do you any concept of how much, right now, I want to be involved in a ritual you host? :D
*hugs* Yeah, it's coming through loud and clear.

We had a good group at that time. Over the years we've put on some really memorable events. Not much in the last year, as we're shorthanded currently, but it may pick up again someday. I like exploring different traditions, and I delve into the theory underneath, so it's not hard to design a ritual based on any other coherent set of symbols. We've done literary rituals too.
One of my favourites was a Beltane ceremony were the Priestess and Priest re-enacted the marriage of Robin Hood and Lady Marion. THAT was a fun (especially the pyrotechnics)! I got to call the West Quarter as Friar Tuck. Hee!
Wow. I'll have to keep that in mind for possible future reference. Yes, we've used pyrotechnics in ritual too. It's too bad that you and I live so far apart.
One of these days, once I've finally gotten around to getting a car and have a few weeks off, I want to go on one massive road trip to visit all my web friends in North America. THAT would be awesome! :)
That would be awesome.
And how did I miss an opportunity to reciprocate with...

*hugs!*

Re: Yes...

the_vulture

June 10 2011, 06:20:23 UTC 10 years ago Edited:  June 10 2011, 06:21:35 UTC

Oh, and, yeah, I'm no Joseph Campbell, but I know a tidbit or two about folklore. :)
Lots of people know somewhat about folklore, but not many find and remember the more obscure connections.
Granted. I have a few university level anthro and cultural study courses under my belt. :)
Yeah, I had fun with some of that in college too.

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