<div dir="ltr">Great poem!<div>I always enjoy your poetry!</div><div>Joan</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jun 23, 2022 at 8:31 AM Riantee Rand via Thespiritexpress <<a href="mailto:thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org">thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><br><div><blockquote type="cite"><br><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>Possessed by the Muse. <span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>The muse didn’t
wrestle me down on a street corner<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>or on the threshold
of a forest <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>to insufflate poetry
into me,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>to force feed me the
inspired prophetic breath.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>The wind of healing<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>that whispers in the
Chosen’s ear <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>and orders the mouth
to recite<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>didn’t blow on me. <span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>I wasn’t taken down,
like Muhammad,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>by the angel who
crushed his chest <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>under its enormous
weight,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>split it open to
tear out the heart <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>and purify it with
heavenly waters.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>No, the Muse didn’t
possess me,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>didn’t command me, <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>like with Muhammad,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>to deliver the
truth.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>To me she is more
like a nag <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>who will not give me
any peace<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>until I put pen to
paper <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>in the shade of an
apple tree maybe,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>on the porch of an
old school house,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>by the orchard where
the Blackbird cackles<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>and the Hermit
Thrushes serenades.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>She orders me to
follow with my pen <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>the subtle currents
of wind,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>pushing shadows into
worlds of desire,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>stringing memories
like pearls <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>around the morning’s
neck.<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>She directs me to
catch a radiance not to be missed, <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>but forever escaping
description. <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>She insists that I
must.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>The mind resists the
supreme effort <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>of flying with the
word,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>birds twitter,
amazed at this resistance.<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>To them flying is
second nature;<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>they often wonder
why humans <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>have to stay so
close to the ground.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>My eyes follow the
play of light <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>on the fruit
ripening on the branch, <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>sighting a Bluejay
ready to gulp it down.<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>When I consult the
sky,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>what does the sky
command?<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>“Recite!”<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>That muse won’t let
go<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>until I find the
right word,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>the right phrase,<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>that will embrace
the whole story <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>of poets, prophets,
bards and healers of the past <span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>into a single breath
<span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>of lavender and
rosemary.<span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span><span> </span></span></p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><span>Like Muhammed I
resist</span><b><span style="font-size:14pt"> <span></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">then I submit.</span>
</div>
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