My Champion

illustration by Heather Blakey

And there he is

outside my window.
My childhood friend
waits for me.
I gently greet him.
And we are off
into the night.
The balmy air
surrounds us
the milky way
spills across
the universe

Dazzled by his
Whiteness
His wings
His intelligence
His strength
I hold him and say
I am sorry

Over water
in the distance
Islands
A cluster
He shows me
A secret place
On a lonely island
A forgotten temple

The flame is out
Brambles and weeds
cling everywhere
But the center altar has words:
Between sound and silence
Let serenity dance.

In this circular temple
A dead wick lay untouched
I find a stone of flint
Touching the flint to the wick
They sway knowingly to one another.
Magically
a flame blazes to life

Apparitions of priestesses appear
Transparent in moonlight
They lift their arms to the sky

Dancing in a circle
Around the altar
The temple bursts to life
Pure splendor
Solid golden pillars
Stand beautifully carved

Swirls of incense
Fruit and nuts gleam on the altar
The light shimmers magically
The brambles are cleared
There are only sacred priestesses
And me.

I follow their lead
We slowly walk out of the temple
Towards a circle of stones
A low hum emanates from the stones
Looking back at the temple
The sun is rising
A strange shadow moves
A shadow snake seems to slowly dance
On the temple wall
The head is the temple stairs.

I watch amazed
And one by one
the temple priestess
Walk back into the shadow
of the snake
And vanish

Pegasus
My darling
Watches me
Alone
in this circle of stones
Looking at the temple
Gone is the splendor
Gone is the gold
Only pitted stone remain
But the temple pillars stand
Like sentinels over this sacred spot.

When I was little
There was so much
I didn’t understand.
And even now
I don’t completely
Understand.
But what I have seen,
Has been a gift.
Daybreak
of the equinox .