ENCHANTED FOREST OF VULTURES

On a dark and stormy winter's eve, a lamp glows in the sacred trees.

Circling silence in the quiet of night. Stillness with no sound of flight.

Entering into their final hours with solemn silent wings...

The wind turns and feathers rest on the breast...

Of the secret song they sing.





Poem and photography by Janette
These photos taken at Eagle Mountain Lake. Hundreds of black vultures nest in this region and on magical nights such as this, we have the privilege of watching and listening to their evensong.

Demon....a poem for Halloween!

DEMON.....by Janette

I've never seen my demon,
but I can feel it.
Squirming around,
Way down deep inside,
Trying to position itself,
In a cradle,
Just behind my heart.

Snuggling under my ribs,
Catching my breath,
Clawing and scratching against my lungs.
Choking,
Coughing,
Clotted with blood.

I sense a shadow passing behind my eyes.
The swish of a tail stirs the wind inside my bones.
It laps the soft blood beneath my breasts.
Sweet slurping sound, rhythms surging in my ears.

The weight of its belly sinks
Into the darkness of my womb.
It rests in the melancholy of twilight,
Keeping the secret of my soul.

I am devoted to its silent rituals.
Its corded tendons twisting around my spine,
Tremors creep across my fingers
As it stirs in the stillness of my heart.

It flows with my blood, slithering upward.
Upward into electric darkness,
Snaking through memory beyond time.
My brain surrenders to its hungry tongue.

Copyrighted and published in "Anniversary DiVerseCity", an anthology celebrating ten years of the Austin International Poetry Festival, Austin, Texas, 2002. art by Janette

Celebrate Autumn Equinox

Autumn Afternoon

In the caramel glow of an autumn afternoon,
Candles pour dark wine over cobweb dreams,
Warm wool and sparks of flame caress my soul.
Drowsing in amber, cool shadows fill the corners,
I drift into the light of a winter moon.

.....Janette 1999

Photo by Janette