WILD WOMAN WORDS
On this page Wild Woman stories and poems are shared. Our soul connection to Nature and the Elements... growth, passion, power and pain, are explored in the following whispers of wisdom. It is a place to step beyond our self imposed cages stretch to our wild wings and creative spirit fly. Submissions can be sent to winddance@live.ca
Our hearts open in gratitude to the contributors of these Wild Woman Words and photos. Thank you so much for sharing with your wild sisters and kin.
The wild wise woman
whispers in the wind,
welcoming us
to spread wide
our whimsical wings.
The wild wise woman
wades in the water,
welcoming us
to drink deep
from the whirling well
The wild wise woman
walks on the earth,
welcoming us
to open gently
to ongoing birth
The wild wise woman
kindles the fire,
welcoming us
to feed with love
our hearts desire
The wild wise woman
stands within the trees,
rooted below,
soul to sole
branched above,
soul to sol
centered within,
soul to source.
The wise wild woman
is alive in you,
welcome her
free her,
dance with her, beyond domesticity.
c. cedar
Oct.7th, 2015
I AM
You see the outside seams of my destruction,
my societal stiches of perfect hair and face.
You hear the rasping voice of culture,
like fingernails on a chalk board
silencing my song.
You smell nothing on my skin
no traces of where I have been.
Yet past the skin,
deep in my bones
my inner stuffing
is thistle down
the seeds of weeds
where fairies sleep
the wild in me survives
in drought and dust,
rooted deep...
past top soil into clay
molding all
I AM.
Jan. 2013
IN THE EARTH'S WOMB
I'm sitting here in a cosy chair sipping a soupy broth and looking out at the snow covered fields. The whiteness of the snow stretches across my mind like a blank canvas and I am taken back over twenty five years. I am standing beside three friends as we look at an older Datsun station wagon. She has a bit of rust here and over there, and I quess under there too ... but what did it matter her engine sounded good and for $400.00 she was just what we needed.
We named her Jessie because two of us had names that began with a J and two with a C. We were in our early twenties and planning series of hikikng trips through the desserts of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Jessie was to be our faithful companion, getting us where we needed to go. She ended up taking a few mice under the hood as well.
The time for our departure was getting close. Part of me kept thinking this was too good to be true. A few days before we left I took Jessie to the gas station for a fill up. In my dreamy excitement I paid for the gas then drove off. About half way home I realized I didn't put the gas cap back on. By the time I got back to the gas station it was gone. No big deal, I went to 'Canadian Tire' and bought a new one. Mistake made, lesson learned, carry on, right? Well yes and no, I wasn't to get off that easy. This came to my awareness on the day we were leaving for our desert oddessey.
Knapsacks strapped down to the roof rack and spirits high we pulled into a gas station on our way out of town. I volnteered to work the pump and light heartedly mentioned that we even had a new gas cap for the trip because I had lost the old one. The next thing I knew my 'friend' was standing next to me holding the gas cap with a scowl on her face. I laughed and said it's O.K. I've learnt my lesson and won't forget the cap. She just stared at me gripping the cap. I realized she wasn't joking and was not about to let me have the cap. She stood with her hands on her hips and in an icy tone said " If you have done it once you could do it again, and we can't take that chance." I apologized and assured her that I would remember to put it back on, but she did not budge. I quickly saw my dreams of a heavenly trip turning to dust.
As we travelled through the canyon lands she took every opportunity to demean me. Even mentioning the beautiful colours of the fields was enough to tick her off. If I tried to defend myself she called me defensive. I decided the best thing to do was to ignore her, but inside I felt torn apart.
It was two long days before we made it to the canyonlands near Moab. Hope sprang in my heart as I leapt from the car. Everything was so beautiful!! Rosy colours and twilight shadows fell over smooth sandstone hills. We had arrived into a world steeped with wonder. Surely now that we were upon the Earth things would shift. With a light heart I began to pick up dried sticks that I found laying about the area in order to start a fire.
I came back with a smile and a stash of wood. I met my 'friend' at the fire pitt. She took one look at me and bellowed out "How stupid can you be! Don't you realize you are not supposed to break branches from trees! This is a national park!" ... I dropped the wood and said quietly "I didn't break anything, I got the sticks from the ground." There was no point in waiting around for her retort, my hopes dashed I walked away from the campsite and into the desert night.
I wasn't sure where I was going I just knew I had to trust my feet to take me to someplace safe. Then there in the sandstone cliffs, I saw it. 'It' ... was an indentation about one metre in depth and almost as long as my body....the stone was still warm from the touch of the suns rays as I crawled up and into it. I curled myself up like a little baby inside her mother's womb, and began to cry. I felt so lost and helpless. I felt my body shake as I let go of all my stored up humiliation and pain.
I cried a long time.
As I silently cried into the sand... I drifted into looking at my tears as they absorbed into the sand ... slowly I became filled with a sense of all encompassing LOVE ... beckoned by something unknown I looked up through blurry eyes towards the sandstone hill opposite me. My tears slowed and ebbed as I gazed upon the Earth's rose toned body. Pure in her nakedness, unclothed by grass or trees. She showed me how the contours of her body had become beautiful by the gracious way in which she accepted the rain, the same way she had accepted my tears ... in her aged wisdom she allowed the water to carve her and reveal her beauty. I realized that I was being like a young granite mountain trying to weather out storms and the elements by ignoring them, only to have slabs of my being tumble to the ground. I felt my body gradually melt into the bones and body of the Earth allowing her essence and message to fill my whole being. Her loving acceptance of the rain shifted something deep inside of me. A calmness fell upon me as if a loving grandmother was resting her hand on my shoulder giving me strength....
I don't remember the journey , but somehow I made it back to camp that night. It would be nice to say my friend and I hugged when I got back, and all tensions were gone, unfortunately I can't. I can say her harrassment no longer bothered me. I was no longer tormented by her words.
Daily she increased her abusive language until one day, when we had stopped to have lunch beside a bend in the trail.The problem was it was so beautiful I had no desire to eat. So while the other three munched away I climbed up an adjacent, pure white, sand dune... there was no one around for miles and miles so followed the urge to get naked, and roll down it in sweet abandon. The otter in me was delighted. Playing and feeling the silky, soft, sand move over my body, like a warm powder snow, recharged me more than any amount of sandwiches could.
Unknown to me, my desire to play instead of eat infuriated my 'friend'. After we were back on the trail she came beside me and said you know you are going to get hungry, when we were a distance from the others . I answered "Don't worry I can last a long time without food." Her face contorted with rage and yelled "You make me so mad! This is what I want to do to you. " She picked up a rock and smashed it to the ground. She puffed a bit more then stormed off ahead of me. I stood still and watched her go. The strange thing was this little drama didn't bother me. Calmly accepting her anger was very easy. I didn't have to judge it right or wrong, it just was. I didn't even have a desire to speak about it to anyone. The beautiful thing was she lashed out less after that. Perhaps it was her last bit of hot air. Maybe her angry fire had no more fuel to burn. I wasn't behaving much different than when I was trying to let her comments roll off of me ... but somehow she knew I was different and gave up trying. I like to think the desert MaMa took her aside too.
Many years have passed since then and sometimes I forget and get caught in a whirl of resistive emotions, ignoring instead of accepting, but if I manage to take a deep breath I can still feel the Earth's warm sandstone body cradling me ... I can see the soft curves and concaves of her pure unconditional LOVE and acceptance... I can let go of separateness and melt into oneness. Challenges then become ways to discover beauty.
May you who listen to this story, feel her warmth gently embrace you... accepting you as you are. Blessed Be.
christina
FIRE
Fire
There is a spark within me,
You can hear it in my voice.
The cold gale of your indifference
Freezes and stalls.
Neglect steals my strength;
Vainly I glow and wish to be seen
I starve and nothing is left.
There is a spark within me,
You can see it in my soul.
The storms of your anger
Threaten and bellow.
Disapproval rains upon me;
The smoke burns my eyes
and stings my throat.
I sputter and die.
There is a spark within me,
you can feel it when you are close.
The driving hail of your fear
Pounds upon me.
Distrust refuses to release;
I struggle to my knees
Only to succumb.
Ashes are all I am.
There is spark within me,
You can see it in my eyes.
The gentle breeze of your love
Warms and raises me.
Support is the dry tiner that feeds;
I am a roaring blaze
Sending sparks to kiss the sister stars,
I warm all within my circle of my light.
J. Winter
May 2006
WINTER OF THE SOUL
Winter of the Soul
As the spirits of the North
move acrosss the cooling Earth,
so cools the Earth of the soul.
heartbeats slow
and stillness reigns all around.
Dreams and wishes crystalize,
drifting to the Earth and
piling in snow drifts
driven by the barren winds.
There they hibernate
until a warm spring breeze of hope
chooses to liberate them
from the icy domains.
Dormant now, they will once again
struggle back to life,
eventually to bloom,
against the remaining vestiges
of the souls winter.
J. Winter
Nov. 2007
WIND DANCE
Wind Dance
Leaf on the branch
shivers and trembles.
breeze wraps itself around
and whispers.
Leaf hesitates
gives a shake,
and follows.
Together they twirl,
graceful turns,
magnificent lifts.
They are joined by others,
breezes and leaves twirling together.
Grasses bend beneath them,
swaying in time.
Faster and faster
Laughing and playing,
they dodge between the Trees.
Tree leans towards them,
wishing,
wanting to follow.
Tired now,
Breezes and Leaves begin
to go their separate ways,
Partners slowly drift apart.
Breeze moves on,
happy and satisfied,
until,
it wraps itself around a Leaf,
and whispers,
"Come dance with me."
J.Winter
Feb.2006
RIVER OF THE PEACE
RIVER OF THE PEACE
River of the Peace,
flowing below me,
carry me through.
As I ride your back
undercurrents break the surface
showing glimpses of your
true power and strength.
Carry me through,
and show me what I need to know.
River of the Peace,
flowing around me,
keep me safe.
As I make my bed along your banks,
your sweet voice
bubbles and sings.
My eyes close and
I feel your gentle rocking
in my dreams.
Keep me safe,
and tell me what I need to know.
River of the Peace,
flowing over me,
wash me clean.
As I clean myself of your mud,
clear me also of my strife.
Fill me with the love,
the peace,
the tranquility,
found along your shores,
Wash me clean,
and make me into what I need to be.
J. Winter