Spirit Passing Over Me

I build shelter out of scraps
Of form left behind
Scattered in my mind
Out of place
Just a face of the task at hand
And the wilderness is free
It beckons me
Leaps out at me when I try to
Stand, its
Been so long since my feet
Have touched land
And the beasts they form
A circle around me
Praying for me
At first I am afraid and I
Fail to see
But gradually I am allowed in
To see the light I’m
Wallowing in
And I make love to the leopards
Of my own making
Touch tongue to the gentle
Awakening
Healing taking place between
This world and this scream
That opens the door,
In this valley, in this forge
And how high can I fly
When my spirit is untethered
My feathers bending with
The wind
As I am gathered in
By the hands of the one
I am cradled and gently
Laying stable upon
This shaking ground
This haven I have found
And dwelt upon
Till now
But I remake myself
I trace the fake parts of
This hell
And make them new
I make them true
I dance with them until
They are no longer blue
I am taking this shadow
And teaching it form
Without walls
Pure storm
I let it gently cascade over me
As my body bathes in the breeze
Of spirit passing over me…

Charleen Johnston 2002