I Was A Child

I was a child when I went into my
self.
I was a child when I reached up to the stars.
I was a child when I asked to receive this
night.
I was a child when I unfolded my soul.
I was a child when I accepted my quest.
I was a child when I was shielded by God.
I was a child when I wrote from the depth.

I was a woman when I knew I was told.
I was a woman when I collected the runes.
I was a woman when I loved the many.
I was a woman when I opened my womb.
I was a woman when I founded the stone.
I was a woman when I unsheathed the raw.
I was a woman when they beat me to my
core.
I was a woman when they silenced my song.

I am a crone and now the anger unveils
my right.
I am a crone and the silence is no longer
my foe.
I am a crone and the reliance of black has
become my space.
I am a crone and the sea roars up its dead
for me to eat.
I am a crone and the cells of my age yield
to me their youth.
I am a crone and the depth of the awakened
peels back my time.

Copyright 1999 by Raven Suzanne. Excerpted from A LANGUAGE TO BE REACHED FOR