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In forest emerald green
Refuge I did seek
From the Butcher of Culloden’s men
He gave no quarter.
Through thickness of briar bush
I crashed on
Sweating, bleeding, breathing hard
Like mighty stags
I hunted and killed, now
The tables turned.
Blindly I ran, deeper into the forest
Until falling exhausted
Like a beaten dog.
I crawled into the roots of an ancient Cedar
The dampness of the moss
Gave comfort to my wounds
There I lay,
Spent from battle at Culloden
Blood from battle worn body
Began clotting,
As I slipped into a hypnotic sleep
Knowing not, or caring,
If I should ever awaken.
At long last
I sensed myself coming to
Not knowing where I was.
The brightness of the full moon
Hurt awakening eyes,
Events of the day played
Over in my mind
Every Scottish muscle ached
As did flesh wounds received
From a British sword and axe
Silently, I laid still, ears perked
Breath held, heart pounding,
Distant voices could be heard
My blood-stained hand
Clenched the handle of my claymore
I became the Red Lion
Ready to pounce, if need be.
I peered over the roots
Watching in disbelief
Goddesses, fairies, and witches
Dancing in the stillness
Of this enchanted evening
Shoulder length hair
Adorned with wild flowers
The silvery moon
Reflected off near pond
Causing naked bodies to glisten
With full breasts bouncing
Arms flowing to and fro
I watched in amazement,
Wondering if I had gone over
To the other world.
Without warning
The magical music stopped
As did the dancers
Slowly turning towards me
Beckoning me to come hither
I hid in safety of father tree
Pretending I was not there
“Highlander, come hither, and
Dance with us,
We will administer your wounds.”
Cautiously, I responded,
“Leave your mighty sword,
You have no need of it here.”
For the first time, my claymore,
I left behind.
In a trance and great pain
I walked to the sacred circle of life.
The scent of flowers engulfed me
Gently, they removed blood stained
Tartan and boots, until I stood naked
Revealing recent wounds and scars
Beneath a million twinkling stars
They bathed me,
Like a new born babe
The cool water quenched my thirst
Renewing my Highland soul
Ancient herbs and medicines
Applied to wounds
I drank from a wine skin
It smelled and tasted divine
Like honey due nectar
I felt no sorrow,
We began dancing
Around the fire, holding hands
I moved lightly as pollen
Blowing through the forest
As if, I was a butterfly.
We began to chant ancient songs
I know not how, but I knew the words
Messages of love for all things
A planet of peace and love
No need of hate and war
The words renewed my hope
Some how we lost our way
Eventually we grew weary
Laying together, we
Drifted off to sleep land.
The warmth of the noon day sun
Brought me gently to reality
My eyes opened, and
Wondered had I been dreaming
My body void of pain
I felt renewed, reborn,
I looked at the world around me, as if,
For the first time, I transcended,
Warrior thoughts of yesterday
For those of philosophers and poets
The real power needed for our world.
I stood up to leave, took a deep breath,
Of the forest’s aromas, looked out
To the clearing: I saw butterflies,
Honey bees and dragon flies,
Dancing around wild flowers, and
Fairies, witches, and Goddesses by night.
I departed the enchanted forest
Prepared to wage peace,
Once you have chosen to
Dance with Goddesses
Under the spell of a silvery moon
You will never be the same again.
The forest grew over a
Highlander’s mighty sword
To be claimed never more….
CAF/03/11/15 |
