Defining Poetry

our lady of the red thread

Our Lady of the Red Thread

I wear a red thread
knotted round my wrist bones
to honor the Great Goddess
mother to us all,
Shekinah, Sophia, Mary queen of heaven,
by whatever name she is called.

Rahab the harlot, was called
by Yaweh, to dangle a red thread
out her window, a cry to heaven
to save her family's bones.
By his mercy, he saved them all,
Yaweh, consort of the Goddess.

In Genesis, a book not kind to the Goddess,
Tamar, to her father-in-law called,
and bared everything to him; all.
Her first born had a red thread
tied to his wrist bones.
Perez and Zerah their names recorded in heaven.

Ariadne, storming the queendom of heaven,
was as lovely as a goddess.
She knew the Minotaur would gnaw Theseus' bones
so as the labyrinth called
she offerred a ball of red fleece thread
to save them all.

Mary, Virgin Mother, the theotokos prays for us all,
and intercedes to open the mercies of heaven.
While awaiting His birth,she worked a spindle of red thread,
to weave a cover for the Tabernacle, a pious Jewish goddess
who said "Yes" when God called
and bore Him within her unstained bones.

It is rumoured, that around the ankle bones
of destined twin souls, all
who choose to be joined
together on earth and in heaven,
under the protection of the Goddess
are bound by fate, and the red thread.

I wear a red thread on my wrist bones
and know the Goddess binds us all
in the deep muscle of earth and heaven, and we are called.


I was somewhat familiar with John Ashbery's poetry prior to this contest---"Defining Poetry: Contest"  ----and delighted in the humor and whimsy in "Farm Implements and Rutabagas".http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16189 I was particularly caught by his use of a modern cartoon character as inspiration for a poem. I was particularly struck by his deft handling of the poetic form the sestina. There was not a particular line I found most telling in this poem-----just reveled in his use of language and technique. The sestina form is a poetic challenge to do well. Obviously, Ashbery's sestina is the product of a master wordsmith. I wanted to set myself the challenge of crafting a sestina. Mine is less whimsical, but I did manage a sestina.