The Lorelei (a poem)

I am the Flood that drowned Man --
the Sea that swallows and soothes.
From my cup, honey is
poured onto the stone --
and wine
and brine --
and all the Ocean is come unto you,
my Love, my Lover.
I am the raging storm,
the tempest
that rocks the bark
and whips the sails and seamen
to frenzy
before lulling all into watery dreams
of me.
Come, dive into these depths,
be dashed upon my rocks,
and be lost in the waters
of bliss.

Flight #2 (a poem)

Enmeshed,
entwined in flight
we fight
and love, my Love,
and seek new heights.
We mate, my Mate,
above the land
above the sea
with hand in hand --
and belly to spine --
we climb and find
the sun and stars --
the Heavens -- OURS!

Then fall back down
with roars
to ground
and lie, as dead.
Then curl and coil
to stretch and rise.

but in your eyes
I see the light
of flight
and fight,
my Mate, my Love.

Prism (a poem)

I once had color in my world,
the spectrum all was mine.
I burned with reds and burnished orange,
with rose and gold, I shined.

My greens were spring's awakening
and summer's heavy leaf.
My blues and purples sang of sea
and ocean's lively reef.

I danced and sang and wove them all
with beauty and with grace.
But now the task is far too hard
and I must turn my face.

When did my colors all run grey,
tinged with brown and black?
I miss the beauty of sun and sky.
I want my rainbow back.


3/10/09 Please note the date. I am currently a very happy girl. However, this is perhaps a good time to educate people a little about depression and bipolar disorder. We experience such stigma related to mental health issues, and it's time we talk more openly about our experience. I believe that my experience as a person with bipolar has enriched my life and love in many ways, but it also presents obstacles and challenges. Thank the Universe for the love and support of Glaux and IronDragon and our family!

For more info on bipolar, check out:

Mental Health Today: Bipolar Disorder Today
National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
National Library of Medicine: Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Education Foundation

Command Performance (a poem)

Brighid

"Write me a poem," my Lady says --
a bright command swathed in
dense, sheer light,
the burning tip of the candle I burn
in Her name.

The Flame is a Mystery,
a sacred sign
in the hands of the profane,
who never take the time to consider
the brilliance
beyond
the
illumination.

"I am a child of Flame," I tell Her
in my child's voice,
and I know the Mystery is only half-revealed.

To be the Fire and that which is consumed
To be the candle
and the match
and the woman who keeps the Flame --

Thus is She who commanded the poem
and the poet
and the dense, sheer light of poetry.

written 2/7/06

Mantis (a poem)

Walk in the temple
with cold, hard, swirled marble
beneath
small, warm feet.

Beyond the white barriers
black night has fallen.

candlelight glows on smooth walls
while incense burns a swirling smoky
path that I follow to the
chamber of the Lady.

Small bells and mellow drums
sound out the chant
that will bring me to Her --
bring Her to Me.

Pink petals, white feathers flutter
to the cream and silver floor
and She touches my shoulder --
a warm hand between my shoulder blades.
The sea flows to the ground
as we share
my body.

Her words drip from my honeyed lips.
Her eyes take in the beauty laid out before me.
Her ticklish fire exudes from my skin,
lighting passion and pleasure,
bonfires and hearthfires
and warm, fuzzy glows in those
SHE touches.

The glow dims and She is gone,
and only I am left with
the whisper:

"I am always here."

"Alchemy" and "To Hephaestus" (two poems)

I couldn't stop myself. I had to share the other two. Consider them a matched trio. I'm particularly interested in this relationship right now, so I want others thinking about it, too, I suppose.

"Alchemy"

Tvbal Qayn
Tu’Bal Cain
Vul’can
Mighty man of fire
and alchemy.
Bender, shaper, tansmuter
of hardened steel
and supple gold.
Towering, hard,
sweaty, sooty, calloused,
bruised, burned and burnished.
Feared and outcast,
your gifts have two-edges.
Sword, plough, golden sash.
Her passion for you,
Her cooling quench –
These are Mysteries most won’t see.
How can Fire and Water love?

"To Hephaestus"

The iron weight of your
measured silence and step
might crush me,
though I’ve put my golden
suppleness intentionally
in your sights.
You owe me no tenderness,
no obligatory care.
I will not ensnare you.
… but …
How I long to hold you,
enfold you, caress you,
entice you, excite you, inspire you.
Oh, how I desire you!
The smallest touch is bliss,
but I am of the Ocean and
I want more.
Your light and fire and heat
to meet
my rush and flow and wave.
The lava and the sea foam –
Life’s Elixir –
for us to share.

Again, if you're interested in devotional poetry for Aphrodite, I highly recommend Crown of Violets, which contains the work of several poets and artists.

Bonds of Love (a poem)

You are
steady, strong, skilled,
kind, compassionate --

You see in me the beauty you would create --
the jewel adorned by your devotion;
the love of the mother, the matron,
the mistress.

You want me
covet me
protect me
possess me
hide me
hurt me
by denying in your heart
and mind
what I AM.

You suffocate me in the
soot of your furnace
and forge iron bars for a gilt cage.

This golden band binds me to you.

But I wear the golden belt you made for me
and from it hangs the shining key,
my secret solace.

Though I love you and choose my bonds,
Hear me, Husband:

Even a beautiful cage
inspires escape
now
and again.


This poem is one of three that I've written that explores the relationship between Aphrodite and Hephaestus. The other two, "Alchemy" and "To Hephaestus" can be found in Crown of Violets -- and perhaps elsewhere on the on web. The current piece is actually the first that I wrote, and I am only now typing it and sharing it.

To Dionysos (a poem)

Hail, Dionysos, twice-born God of the vine!
Bromios, thundering One,
Zagreus!
I have been your priestess and lover,
Swept up and swirled away in the ecstatic rites
Of wine and rut.
And you bless me, Dionysos,
by sending your maddening men
To intoxicate my poor brain
With their rakish grins
Smooth skin stretched taught over chests and arms,
Velvety ribs that need the embrace
Of my thighs.
They haunt my thoughts, my dreams.
They are the drunken, wine-drenched hallucinations
That rage and rumble in my bed.
I lose myself in them,
Your priests,
And I find you.
Hail, Dionsyos!

My first relationship with any God was with Dionysos. John H. Wells, who has written some fine articles and led some amazing rituals in honor of the twice-born God, invited me to the Rites of Dionysus, led by the Clan of the Laughing Dragon at a store called Raven's Flight in North Hollywood in 1999. It was the first one that he led, and it was a pivotal moment for me. Absolutely defining. Liberating and enlightening, as only Dionysos can be. I would actually say that Aphrodite came to me through and after this experience, and the larger religion of Hellenismos and the other Olympians, Pan and the nymphs after through and after Her. But, I digress.

Glaux recently posted about Dionysos, too. Specifically about the combination of Aphrodite and Dionysos. They do seem to go together, don't they? Oh, I am so much an Aphrodisian woman, but there is no denying the maenaed in me. And every single person I have been seriously attracted to has been touched by Dionysos. Gods, they get me every time. Sexy, brooding. Yum.

I am struck by their combined power for both pleasure and grief. Combine sex and wine, for instance. Oh, yes, please combine sex and wine!!! Head-spinning, sheet-soaking, bed-breaking ecstasy. Sign me up!

Then there's there equally powerful (and orgiastic) combination of grief and madness that both Theoi embody. Aphrodite grieves for Adonis, and she has several epithets that indicate her mourning process (Of the Tombs, Black). Dionysos also is known for the madness brought on by grief, loss, and too much drink. Their combination here can be powerful and purging, allowing us to work through traumatic loss which is necessary in order to regain our sense of joy and pleasure. They can guide us through some of the most gut-wrenching of human experiences in order to enjoy the most elating of them.

Crown of Violets, vol. 1

Crown of Violets, the devotional chapbook compiled by Temple of Aphrodite Asteria, is now available for purchase. For just $7, you can order your own hard copy of this collection of poetry, photography and art. Not a bad deal to have so many poems, hymns, images and the like readily on hand.

For millennia, the Goddess of Love has been the subject of poetry, painting, prose and sculpture. This devotional chapbook is a vault of offerings for Aphrodite.

E-book format coming soon through Asteria Books.

Amor Vincit Omnia

You sweep me away,
A bird of prey claiming the tender prize.
Off my feet and into your arms
Then into my bower
And the golden net
Of passion,
Of love.

My warrior brings hard battle
And conquest
Into every land.
But by me you are subdued.
The hardened ram ridden
By the dove.

(c) 2008, Laurelei Dabrielle

Helen (a poem)

"Helen"

If I have grace,
It is an insult
Because it pours from me
Uncontrolled
To turn men’s eyes
And women’s minds.

If I have wit,
I am a fool
To show it
And be accused
Of malice
Or negligence
Or cruel, covetous cunning.

If I have beauty,
It is a damning mark
That besmirches my soul
And leaves me scarred
And sullied
Because I must wear it openly.

Whatever light is in me,
I long for the night
That will snuff it out
And leave me,
Finally,
At peace.

(C)2008, Laurelei Dabrielle