You Don’t Belong Here
Drones and crows and thoughts and prayers and Christmas and MAGA and
I’m staggered by the wonder of it all
and my arms are tired and my legs are getting wobbly
so I take Seamus Heaney’s counsel to
walk on air while taking no hurt.
My arms ache from holding
this hardboard poster with an upside down flag,
underneath the words in red,
“Jam the spokes, Seize the wheel.”
Your flag is upside down,
a woman says as I hand out flyers.
I know that, I say.
An upside down flag signals distress.
She gives me the eye and says,
You don’t belong here.
Sounds almost like an edict.
You don’t belong here.
As she walks away I say thank you,
while in my mind I tell her to
fuck off lady,
just fuck off.
So much for walking on air while taking no hurt.
This morning things got better,
or maybe they got worse.
Time will tell.
A crow,
mystically majestic,
visited me in a waking dream.
He doesn’t move.
He’s looking at me.
Is he a messenger?
Bringer of bad news?
Is The Morrigan,
(a shape shifting Celtic battle goddess)
calling to me?
And if she is calling to me, for what purpose?
To do battle?
Or is the dream a harbinger of my impending death?
John Beckett, a pagan, often writes of the Morrigan in light of past and current events. In a post at Patheos, a site which prides itself as a home for all the world’s religions, he writes…
She is the Battle Raven and is not to be trifled with. But she has a message I believe is critical for our future as Pagans, as humans, and as creatures of the Earth. A storm is coming. Gather your tribe. Reclaim your sovereignty.”
Indeed, a storm is coming.
We best embrace the motto of The Scouts of America… Be prepared.
Be disciplined, think ahead about possible situations, and know what to do when the time comes.
At the same time, as best you can, be mindful of walking on air while taking no hurt. Make Seamus Heaney proud.
