Diana Glows

 

In lustrous beams that glow and flow

I bear the light to brighten night

with streaming rays

(so unlike my brother’s sun displays)

that silvers tracks in woodland parks

where fairies dance and foxes bark

to echoes of my glistening songs

that travel here and float along–

Listen, do you hear me sing?

Watch for me, as my stag I’ll bring

and hope to women in childbirth scared

look there—

now my radiance aired, my light is shared

 

“Diana,” Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1892-1893,  Philadelphia Museum of Art

 

I love this statue that stands at the top of the Great Stair Hall at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The statue once stood on the tower of Madison Square Garden (installed in 1893). It has been at the museum since 1932. In 2013-2-14, museum conservators repaired and restored her original gold leaf finish.

This poem is for Secret Keeper’s Weekly Writing Prompt

The words were:  Song/Rays/Lead/Track/Scare

 

 

 

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Moonstruck

 

Samuel Palmer, Kornfeld im Mondenschein,” [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Before the dawn, I saw the moon,

her father nearby, he stood there forthright,

seeking her radiance, no, not immune

to her empyrean charm, her pale, silver light.

 

Her father nearby, he stood there forthright

with pride in the memory, he thought of her birth,

to her empyrean charm, her pale, silver light

flirting with shadows, brightening the earth.

 

With pride in the memory, he thought of her birth

as if in a trance, the twins, moon and sun

flirting with shadows, brightening the earth

timeless and time-bound, till time is done

 

I hear her humming, I hear the song,

seeking her radiance, no, not immune

to magic moonlight, in still-darkness of morn

before the dawn, I saw the moon.

 

A Pantoum for Secret Keeper’s Writing Challenge.

The prompt words were: Birth/Trance/Pride/Seek/Flirt

When I walked outside this morning to get the newspaper (support the press!), I was struck by the beauty of the bright sliver of moon with Jupiter by her side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juno

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

 

Dancing among the stars,

boldly going where none have gone before,

she orbits the gas giant. No small feat.

A world of wonder lies ahead.

a long-standing project, a long awaited voyage

standing on the shoulders of giants,

Juno, consort of Jupiter,

but powerful in her own right,

daughter of Saturn, mother of Mars,

Queen of the Universe,

she moves, traveling millions of kilometers,

a five-year journey to unknown parts.

But still she sings,

she sings a song of perfection,

chasing the truth,

seeking knowledge,

inspiration and inspirational

exploring the unknown,

she soars, flying high, flying effortlessly,

spinning a brief tale of glory

that will end with a crash,

but she will live on in science, immortal.

 

This is response to Secret Keeper’s Weekly Writing Prompt. This week’s words: move/small/wonder/dance/part. The line about Juno singing comes from this:

“Through tones Juno sang to us and it was a song of perfection,” said Rick Nybakken, Juno Project Manager, referring to the audio signal the probe sent to indicate it was in orbit. It’s from this article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year: Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

   The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

 –“Ring Out, Wild Bells,” From In Memoriam

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Like Janus, the double-faced Roman god of doors and gates and beginnings and endings, I find myself looking back at the past year and forward to the year to come.  This year I’ve become more aware of my own mortality. I’ve spent many hours reflecting upon the good and the bad in my life.  Over the past year, I’ve tried to appreciate all the good things in my life, especially my family and friends.

 As Tennyson directed, I’ve tried to ring out the false and ring in what is true to me.

 I can’t eliminate the noxious jeremiads that dominate politics in the United States right now. I can’t end all wars and bring world peace. I can’t keep all women safe from men who want to beat, rape, and mutilate them, and who want to deny them education and rights.

 But–I can keep my own words civil and listen to the ideas of others. I can hold back anger and passion to use when they are necessary and warranted.

 I can give aid and assistance to women and organizations that help women. I can promote education and the arts. . .because knowledge is power, and music, art, and literature nourish the soul.

I am a writer. I can write.

 Happy New Year! May 2013 bring all of you health, happiness, and peace.