Saturday, December 20, 2008

We have come to be danced

It seems that the end of 2009 has come and left me with many thoughts...but the one that stands out are those expressed by this poem. I don't remember who sent it to me but it makes me happy to read it and to share it. I have had it saved and tucked away because I couldn't bear to part with it or lose it. It seems important to hang onto it because it says soooo much. I won't try to interpret it for you or anyone but only for me.... I share with you

A reflection of the essential self…



We Have Come to be Danced


We have come to be danced

Not the pretty dance
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
But the claw our way back into the belly
Of the sacred, sensual animal dance
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance
The holding the precious moment in the palms
Of our hands and feet dance.



We have come to be danced

not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance
The blow the chip off our shoulder dance.
The slap the apology from our posture dance.


We have come to be danced

Not the monkey see, monkey do dance
One two dance like you
One two three, dance like me dance
But the grave robber, tomb stalker
Tearing scabs and scars open dance
The rub the rhythm raw against our soul dance.


We have come to be danced

Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle
But the matted hair flying, voodoo mama
Shaman shaking, ancient bones dance
The strip us from our casings. return our wings
Sharpen our claws and tongues dance
The shed dead cells and slip into
The luminous skin of love dance.


We have come to be danced

Not the hold our breath and wallow in the shallow end of the floordance
But the meeting of the trinity: the body, breath and beat dance
The shout hallelujah from the top of our thighs dance
The mother may I?
Yes you may take ten giant leaps dance
The olly-olly oxen free free free dance
The everyone can come to our heaven dance.


We have come to be danced

Where the kingdoms collide
In the cathedral of flesh
To burn back into the light
To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray
To root in skin sanctuary

We have come to be danced

We have come.




-- Jewel Mathieson, from This Dance: A Poultice of Poems

1 comment:

roxie said...

What a wonderfully kick-ass poem! Dance on, baby!

(Glad to have found your blog!)