Member Poem

Samhain again
and a new year begins.

The unblemished new year waits
in the shimmering dark of winter’s womb
gathering the glitter of ice and stars for life.

I rest too, and wait
snuggled in my swaddling clothes
of fleece and blanket.

Outside I set a bowl of rice
and sticks of incense.
The fragrance rises
—smoke melting into snowy cloud—
I light a candle
and burn the old away.
I cleanse the new path with fire.

My feet are eager
to walk the ways they find
seeking new horizon.

Lulled by arctic dreams of shining midnight
the frozen seeds sleep, and plan to bloom.
Like them, we gather strength, then grow.

A new year again.
Samhain begins.