The Epistles: Fifth Battle Stations

Posted by ractrose on 2 Sep 2019 in Art, Poems

Oil painting of harbor scene

 

 

The Folly

Battle Stations

 

 


 

 

The Epistles

 

The Contessa writes to the chapters of the Fellowship

Prophecies her companions unveil in a language familiar

To followers of readings and summonings, to seekers

Who divine a card’s turning, hear the undercurrent’s drumming

Malice and menace…she hopes that her warnings are timely

For the Clock cycles ever, and each sound uttered

By human voice, each juddering of continents

When tides and magmas rise, each engine of wind that shrieks

Into cyclones of fire consuming war-torn cities

Floats on its ethereal wave, a repeating chime, until some raft

Of outsized matter impedes the way, and a thousand thousand

Souls’ cries are to the attuned made audible

She transcribes them

Her eyes see, as she spins her globe, and her book of maps she pages

the celluloid yellow over, like a lamp superheating its shade

 

My friends of Seattle

Your numbers are seven and nine, be concerned for falling accidents

Green and gold the colours that correspond, hidden decay your enemy

Your unlucky sign is the pyramid

 

My friends of Marseille

To Etruria was known your ancient name

Your numbers are 5 and 4, be concerned for clay

Aqua and orange the colours that correspond, heavy rains your enemy

Your unlucky sign is the egg

 

My friends of Catania

Your numbers are three and one, be concerned for the knife

Pink and bone are the colours that correspond, pride your enemy

Your unlucky sign is the falling star

 

My friends of Somerset

The blood of sacrifice yet stains your earth

Old things dwell there

Your numbers are two and two, be concerned for the falcon

The blue of indigo, and indigo again, are the colours that correspond

Persuasion your enemy

Your unlucky sign is the axe head

 

 

 


The Epistles

Digital painting of ballerinaLlewellyn at Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2019, Stephanie Foster)

 

 

 

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