winter, new york, i am feeding on the coldness and warmth, how does one speak a thing that must never be spoken, how does one ask a thing that must never be asked, how does one take a thing that must never be taken, a new precedent must be set, a new pattern must emerge, a new way of being must be born, a new way of bonding, a new way of relating, a new way of mating, i am tired of having to ask for what should be given, i am tired of having to explain what should be understood, i am tired of having to hide what should be adored, too many people live in fear and deny that which lives within, too many people hide their true feelings, they hide their passion, too many people lack honor and kindness, what happened, what happened, and why, ~ shadow ~ it is with great sorrow that i must summon the power of kali, let the games begin, let sing the gods of war, i wield within my silent stillness a dream of hell, what dance holds your step, what scribe marks your path, what demons guard your sleep, mine roam free and wide and ancient, know this, i have named you, i have named you to the old ones and this line i forge with blood, you shall go no further, ~ shadow ~ talk to me about near and dear things, subtle things, simple things, talk to me about sacred things, sensitive things, tender things, talk to me about love and unending kindness, about vulnerability, about courage, talk to me about honor and truth, about nobility and eternal awakening, talk to me about who you are, who you have been and who you are yet to be, talk to me about the magic in a look, in a touch, in a whisper, talk to me about seldom heard things, rare things, hidden things, talk to me, my dear love, about what lives within your heart, ~ shadow ~ ever more, the winds howled, and the trees sway, to and fro, the night is ringing high songs and ancient rite, the land shudders, the mountain speaks, and the sky god bids welcome, all is fine in never land, a single voice is heard, stillness sings, silence reigns, and a whisper becomes a roar, ~ shadow ~ the winds have come and the season of rebirth approaches, ~ shadow ~ let the childhood wander and be born anew in a shadow realm of magic and mirth, a faery realm, and the secreat song of fair fae be heard again across the land, the Sidhe, the sacred ones, the forgotten path and the hidden door, let snowy mountains be filled with evergreens and deep roots remain true, let the noble ones walk again, let the shadow tale be told, let honor guide the wills of mankind, let beauty sing and love reign, let warmth and kindness be filled again, let trust and courage move with the wind, let grace color, let tenderness breathe, let a vulnerable touch fill the night with joy and exquisite pleasure, let the unbridled hunger speak and ring true, let the true souls come, ~ shadow ~ to roam a night dream in a world of images lost in a memory of another realm where shadows speak and a cutting knife burns with a glimpse of other days when silence reigned and beauty spoke and graceful love graced a shoulder and touch with a smile spoke and a caress hint within a dark hour when light seemed feint and a dark path filled a random act with anguish and a tear and lie and false and a profound giving seeking knowing feeling, what sin is there but this, to not be true, to not speak with heart and soul, to not speak with kindness, ~ shadow ~ i have journeyed pain-ridden roads, anguish filled nights, walked distant shores and ventured a dark traveling, to touch the exquisite night, to court a lost wind and an empty eyes, held shivering loves, carassed coldness and hunger filled emptyness, forgotten hurts and words too many who do not cannot see feel know what is touched, "from the ashes a spark shall spring," and who are the noble ones, and what does it take to recall to life a childhood wish, a longing beyond longing, life death rejuvenation cleansing rebirth, what path do we walk, what mission summons, what dream lives, what magic must we speak to reforge a world full of too much hurt and anger and bitterness, too much fear, and when does the hurting end and when does the healing begin, and what beauty lies sleeping within the grace of the kindness to give love and care and intimate affection, tenderness of spirit and form, nakedness, vulnerable, and joyous pleasure filled hidden fantasy born to life, to rejoice in the giving, one moment of perfect beauty, the dancer at the heart of all things, and a wellspring of pure love, a breath within a breath, and a kiss upon a gentle hand, i remember the pain from so many things, all blending into a world of feeling with such intensity that my world and inner world seem lost in a blurr of true life, breathing life, and maybe, within the stillness when the pain and joy become one, a true oneness is born, a true essence is born, a true heart is born, ~ shadow ~ danger, no ice, nothing to stop you from sinking, nothing, it is time to swim, ~ shadow ~ the wards of the soul, the memories of a forgotten path, the awakening of an immortal rite, to challenge the order of things, to right a great wrong, to reforge an ancient oath, to remake a ring of truth, to recall the noble ones, to summon a wandering tribe, to rebirth a lost people, to court a distant wind, to guard a hidden door, to see what lies in shadows, to speak a sacred truth, to scribe a word of power, to caress an eternal muse, to sing in silence, to breathe in stillness, to become and evolve, to discover and reveal, to share and commune, to remember who we are, from whence we have come, and where we are going, to live our true purpose . . . ~ shadow ~ to write a thing of beauty and worth, to speak of rare and sacred things, to speak the heart and soul, to court the wind and forgotten truths, to summon a dream and whisper a vision, to tell a tale and mark a stone, to scribe a word and utter a touch, to alter the course of things, to awaken and inspire, to breathe life and passion, to renew an ancient oath, to begin again, to feel again, to live again, ~ shadow ~ i have been traveling in my old home town, and the winter is come on strong, the winds are a bitter cold, i walked thru central park, the center of new york city, the sun was shining, the trees swayed with the winds, bitting into the bones and blood, my hands fingers and eyes could feel the burning cold, yet, deep within my spirit, the cold warmed my heart, i missed this hurting, this outward hurting that heals one's inner hurting, i have needed this, deeply, these days, ~ shadow ~ from whence comes the deeper things, the deeper ways, the forgotten ways, from whence comes the true friends, the true communing of our soul, the awakening of our true tribe, i can feel the ebb and flow of a great awakening, a great convergence, the remembering recalling rebirthing, i sit in stillness and silence, i ponder long ago forgotten things, a lost art, a forgotten vow, to reforge and remake, to renew and reclaim, to reclaim who we are, why we are here, our true purpose, our ancient purpose, our immortal purpose, from whence comes the true magic, ~ shadow ~ the light inside is a beautiful wonderful thing, a magical thing of fae and faery realm, i have long believed that the dream realm is a true realm in its own right, a shadow of our waking realm, where true spirit is born and forged, it mirrors and echoes our true being, a deeper part of our soul speaks there, lives there, breathes there, both maybe are just as real as the other, both feed off of the other, nurture and court, the other, and the same, maybe, is true of true lovers, ~ shadow ~ i saw a beauty, the other day, i saw her soul and the shadow of her world, a glimpse of her inner world, i roamed a dark street with rain and cold winds to warm my soul and bones, i forgot a world of things, i challenged a night of destiny, i let stillness speak, i let silence reign, i ventured across a hidden world, i am a child, a times, i am a man and a child, let the spirit come, let the dreams come, let the magic come, ~ shadow ~ i have come home to reclaim my ancient power, to summon and raise a great and ancient power, ~ shadow ~ silence

Arthur Paul Levine ©
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