The sky is pale and grey, not heavy, but flat and low.
The world is shallow, horizontal, with little space to breathe,
except in spaces cleared by flurries of warm wind.
Sparrows visit, fearless, curious thieves,
crumbs disappearing at the speed of flight.
A magpie swoops in, a botanic priest to correct the masses.
A large golden dog steps forward and they take to the air.
The roses are every colour from white to peach, cerise to ruby,
some freshly opened, some over-blown.
Stopping at the climbing roses,
and drawing a branch close to breathe in the perfume,
a conversation approaches, full of soft “-sh-sh-“ sounds,
the sound of the breeze and these dark, blood-red blooms.
This is the beginning of a longer piece based on notes taken on 19 December 2017. Its taken me a while to feel that I’m beginning to understand how this wants to be written. But this feels right, and I’ll persevere with the rest…its not always an easy process.
©clairegriffin2018
invisible necessity 
Dear Claire, Thank you for sharing your poetical notes. For me, “The Poet(s) in the Garden” springs to mind. Within the nature of your work I recognise the three alchemical stages that precede the rubedo (that deep reddening, that coming to life!) in Alchemy’s “Great Work” for the nigredo, albedo and citrinas” are all to be found within your poem. It was wonderful to listen too! In soul, Deborah.
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Thanks Deborah ❤️❤️
I really need to find out alchemy – can you suggest a book I could start with – otherwise I’ll try the mysteries of the internet 😉
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I would start with the Wikipedia page for “Magnum opus” and then if you’re a Jungian-loving poet like myself, look to the collected works of Jung and Von Franz on Alchemy.
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Excellent – thanks 🙂
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