Spells: New and Selected Poems

From Among the Goddesses: An Epic Libretto in Seven Dreams

167 From​Among the Goddesses: An Epic Libretto in Seven Dreams act​iii​(libretto​version) Scene 1 Demeter’s garden in Ohio: tall ripening tomatoes mixed with many herbs and flowers, near the side of a large barn. Demeter is picking peas and dropping them into a large metal bowl as Kouretes chant repeatedly, to the traditional tune: “Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali—Inanna.” Lily​approaches​silently​and​watches​as​Demeter​sings​to​herself. demeter Long​grass​pushes​up​under​the​trees, hyssop,​bee​balm,​lavender,​chicory, mallow,​johnny​jump​up,​love​in​a​mist, coneflower,​blackeyed​susan,​broccoli, in​my​circular​garden​that​curves​from​the​earth​.​.​. lily [to herself and audience] Her​hands​are​as​wide,​cool,​and​earth-​ stained as​mossy​old​rocks​that​a​forest​has​patiently grown​up​around,​died​around,​fallen​near. demeter spine​in​the​planet,​blood​in​the​wind, as​I​drop​the​peas​in​the​aluminum​bowl​.​.​. spine​in​the​planet,​blood​in​the​wind​.​.​. kouretes [under the following conversation] spine​in​the​planet,​blood​in​the​wind​.​.​. 168 lily The​arms​of​the​planet​are​holding​me​alive. demeter I​know​everything​old​about​Eve lily Eve,​the​face​of​Demeter​teaches​me, demeter rose​from​fire​as​well​as​earth: lily​and​demeter [standing to face each other] Eve​was​the​full​gleam​of​light​on​the​water. demeter Eve​fell​beside​me,​and​rose​and​fell; dark​Eve,​my​own​loss,​my​heartbeat,​my​sister, lily Eve​speaks​to​me​often​without​loss​or​damage in​my​heart​from​the​place​of​the​dead, the​place​of​the​openings​that​I​have​found. lily​and​demeter Eve​fell​beside​me,​and​rose​and​fell Lily crouches to help Demeter. demeter [murmuring quietly as she works] 169 hyssop,​bee​balm,​lavender,​chicory, mallow,​johnny​jump​up,​love​in​a​mist, coneflower,​blackeyed​susan,​broccoli, in​my​circular​garden​that​curves​from​the​earth​.​.​. kouretes Here​is​the​mother​who’d​watched​her​own​daughter given​away,​and​ruined​the​earth, who​now​put​out​leaves,​and​nurtured​the​earth, demeter [murmuring quietly in the background] Caves​run​hollow​until​I​can​fill​them with​silent​energies​seeding​new​quiet​.​.​. Lily stands up suddenly at the word “crystals” and speaks as Demeter continues murmuring. demeter .​.​.​crystals​to​form,​and​roots​to​come​down into​their​veins;​with​water​that​pushes. with​stems​reaching,​trunks​reaching,​leaves​setting​bone. lily [forcefully] I’d​been​invaded;​the​baby​was​not​mine. Why​should​I​carry​it? kouretes Coneflowers​blew fuschia​and​silent,​as​if​there​was​laughter, 170 lily from​the​breeze​that​was​suddenly​simpler, as​if​there​could​once​more​be​joy.​It​has​been months​since​I’d​felt​like​myself,​like​Lily; months​since​my​life​has​moved​for​me. demeter [finishing picking and rising, stretching] When​my​darling​Persephone​was​young, she​cried​every​time​I​pulled​weeds.​It​was​hard to​see​that.​It’s​hard​to​let​go.​We​need​to. She puts her arm around Lily. They go inside the barn together. kouretes silent​energies​seeding​new​quiet crystals​to​form,​and​roots​to​come​down into​their​veins;​with​water​that​pushes. with​stems​reaching,​trunks​reaching,​leaves​setting​.​.​. Scene 2 A rainy highway, with a small house in the distance. If possible the Serpent Mound, an ancient earthwork in the shape of a long snake, is visible. Kouretes at the side of the stage. Lily steps off a bus, lifts her coat up to cover her head, and begins to walk up the road. kouretes The​other​heart​has​begun​its​beating The​other​heart​has​begun​its​beating in​the​rich​cave,​the​long​silence 171 lily [as she walks] The​other​heart​has​begun​its​beating in​the​rich​cave,​the​long​silence the​hoping​morning​that​was​my​womb. kouretes The​other​heart​has​begun​its​beating The​other​heart​has​begun​its​beating lily Through​my​belly​run​knife-​ hard​images to​my​body​and​to​my​heart. The​hate​that​touched​me​on​the​mountain is​still​thriving,​making​a​silence kouretes is​still​thriving,​making​a​silence lily deep​in​me​still,​a​yielding​mine, where​my​own​thoughts​cannot​find​a​foothold but​plummet,​hopeless,​down​in​my​body, absorbed...