This was a poem I wrote in 1997 about White Tara. It was actually based upon a dream that "pursued me" for several years........a dream in which I was relentlessly pursued by a terrifying, smoky, amorphous creature. Finally, being exhausted with running, I turned to face the monster, no longer caring what the outcome might be. From the fire and smoke emerged a young boy, who quietly came forward and lay down with his head on my lap.
WHITE TARA
I went to meet that savage creature I have run from,
lifetime after lifetime,
the shape within the shadows,
a creature of smoke and bared fangs.
I went to meet it at last,
and I let it take me in its vast arms,
and I kissed its terrible face.
And I thought I would die
but I did not die.
I thought I would be swallowed
but I was not swallowed.
Because that creature
I thought would devour me
returned my embrace
I looked into eyes
that became soft and liquid,
and filled with tears.
The eyes of a lonely child,
my own lost child,
my brother, my sister,
my lover, my mother.
And with great tenderness
Fear lay upon my breast, and slept.
And what bound me for so long
flowed out of me,
and my heart expanded,
and I found I could hold
the entire world
in my open arms.
I will make my arms a circle
I will make my heart a circle
I will walk my sorrows, my fears Home.
I will walk circles around them
until at last I find
that bright and spacious center
Come with me. Take my hand.
We will do it together
We will walk Home.
Lauren Raine, 1997
I went to meet that savage creature I have run from,
lifetime after lifetime,
the shape within the shadows,
a creature of smoke and bared fangs.
I went to meet it at last,
and I let it take me in its vast arms,
and I kissed its terrible face.
And I thought I would die
but I did not die.
I thought I would be swallowed
but I was not swallowed.
Because that creature
I thought would devour me
returned my embrace
I looked into eyes
that became soft and liquid,
and filled with tears.
The eyes of a lonely child,
my own lost child,
my brother, my sister,
my lover, my mother.
And with great tenderness
Fear lay upon my breast, and slept.
And what bound me for so long
flowed out of me,
and my heart expanded,
and I found I could hold
the entire world
in my open arms.
I will make my arms a circle
I will make my heart a circle
I will walk my sorrows, my fears Home.
I will walk circles around them
until at last I find
that bright and spacious center
Come with me. Take my hand.
We will do it together
We will walk Home.
Lauren Raine, 1997
Absolutely gorgeous, Lauren - you are a true artist with words and the creations of your hands.
ReplyDeleteWarren
Wow, what a magnificent mask!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I am so grateful for your kind words. That's the currency all artists need, which, being creatives yourselves, I am sure you well know.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Lauren
Thankyou for introducing me to White Tara at this time when I need to try to understand, be comforted and remain hopeful about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
ReplyDeleteI've been following your mask series and someone gave me the book,"Jaguar Woman," by Lynn Andrews the other day. It's all about masks. I'm working on the message. Gail
ReplyDelete