Prophesy

Image by Allegra Forman, Used with Permission

They say a band of white-haired women
will eventually take over,
push the suits and ties aside,
and make room for Mother Earth’s healing.
A click of the tongue
instead of a lashing     
     a desire to get on with the work
     that must be done
     to recapture the soul of a nation
     weary of sound bytes
                      insomnia tweets
                         violence spread by inhumane executive orders
a willingness to speak truth
to twisted corrupt power.

The women will circle up
under the full moon
and by its dependable guiding light
the white haired women will turn East
and braid each other’s hair,
fingers weaving locks into plaits
strong enough to withstand winds from the north.

The women will drum 
long past midnight
palms connected to stretched hides
of deer and elk, of moose and buffalo, 
fingers splayed
beating out rhythms,
calling everyone into the sanctuary
of their inner circle. 

The women will drum
composing a song of peaceful warriors,
ready to embrace the pulsating moon,
the stars who have gathered to eavesdrop,
the tree frogs who churn out the bass line
of this ancient melody.

The women will drum
until their pulses become one frequency,
until the independent beats of their hearts
willingly and lovingly
synchronize.

BIO: After having taught middle and high school English for 32 years, Marianne Peel is now nurturing her own creative spirit.  She has spent three summers in Guizhou Province, teaching best practices to teachers in China. She received Fulbright-Hays Awards to Nepal (2003) and Turkey (2009). Marianne participated in Marge Piercy’s Juried Intensive Poetry Workshop (2016).  Marianne’s poetry appears in Muddy River Poetry Review, Belle Reve Literary Journal, Jelly Bucket Journal, Gyroscope Review, among others.  She has a collection of poetry forthcoming in 2021 from Shadelandhouse Modern Press.

(c) 2021 Marianne Peel