Poetry
[ed. Ophion is a name for the north wind.]
(Swans - April 23, 2012)
We are the birds of Ophion;
we soar on his powerful breath.
Our pinions were fashioned by the fingers
that spun the strands of space.
We are going to the myrtle grove
to perform the aerial dance,
to honor the guardian of the heights.
We will decorate ourselves with poppies
and with sheaves of corn and wheat.
The songs of our flock will encircle the welkin,
as we hover in the ether of its islands.
We are the sky people;
we fly on the shaft of the wind.
Our music was conceived by the spirit
that composed the chorus of the spheres.
We are going to the oak glen
to call his name,
to summon the angel of the air.
We will paint ourselves with the soil of earth
and with the juices of wild plants.
Our voices will rise in praise of him
who rules the kingdom of the clouds.
We are the hordes of the atmosphere;
we sail the streams of Zephyrus.
Our migration was patterned by the hands
that wove the web of time.
We are going to the valley of the sycamore
to call the god of the cosmos,
to invoke him who governs the universe.
We are the swarm of his creation in form and design,
creatures of his invention through beads of stellar rain.
Legions of his circle, in flight and in song,
we will ornament ourselves with the brilliance of his throne.
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About the Author
John M. Marshall is the founder and editor of Epiphany Arts, Cape Fear Poetry Society, and various poetry sites. He has received several writing awards. His poetry has been published in the U.S. (including Swans) and seven other countries. He recently had song lyrics performed at the Irish Embassy in Bulgaria. Marshall lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. (back)