Cloudy, dark night
Invisible meteors
Scorching the sky
Uninterested dogs
Perimeter sniffing
Distracted by possum and coon
Spoor
So I am ignored
Flaming cauldron calls
Quite easy to set a match
To the balled paper
Twigs and branches
Oh, how I need guidance
This P’habengi Rat night
Elemental divination
Jag–Fire the base
For this burning Aries
Wrapped in a black caftan
Trimmed in salsa-red
To match lonely lips
Studying shapes of flames
Hungrily consuming
Combustibles
Pyromancy
Eyes closed
Show me ME, say I
Emphatically
Coiling, blazing
A divine divination
What do I see???
Nothing that looks right
Perhaps I need help tonight
Phu—Earth
Geomancy assisted by salt
Tossed in the flames
Unclear alteration
The Earth recoils
From the wounds of the soil
What do I see???
A rumbling of rock and stone
Horror-struck, I suppress a groan
Haburo—Air
Aeromancy
Wind conveniently blowing strong
Flames shift
Father Sky leers
Tell me!
No answer, so I sigh
What do I see???
Tornado, trying to lift me unto death
Frightened, I fight, holding my breath
Paj—Water
Hydromancy
Sprinkling water from the hose
Hand naturally cupped to change
The flames
Thirsting for self-knowledge
I call the wetness
Staining Mother Earth’s robe
What do I see???
Monsoons showering down on me
Yet the fire remains water-free
How to tie disparate forces together
Alomancy
Pouring remaining salt on the ground
Finding an unburnt branch
Eyes closed
Kneeling on the grass
Owl hooting
Bats flying
Cats crying
Dogs howling
Stick in the salt
Open the eyes
Jittery automatic writing
Symbols similar to tasseomancy
Tea leaf augury
Next I’ll be stirring up entrails
Oh, what do I see???
I see ghostly forms
Swirling around the fire
I see an open doorway
To a world I no longer trust
I see the elements rebelling
I see fists shaking in my face
I hear demands calling for my disgrace
Where is the center
Where is the ground
Heavily anchored by a swollen heart
I close my eyes and turn around
Where is the circle of protection
How could I forget…?
© 2016 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)
IMAGE: Backyard Pyromancy
poeturja 
The phrase “twigs and branches” reminds me of my favourite song from Bjork Earth Intruders (radio edit). Lovely riff on the theme in this poem. Have a lovely lead-up to Samhain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, wow, SB, I’m listening to them right now. Ashamed to say I’d never heard them. Fantastic! Thanks for the comparison. I’ll certainly add them to my MP3 (will also make great exercise music 🙂 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad you like the song. Björk’s an Icelandic singer and contemporary of Madonna’s but ageless. She’s famous for wearing a swan dress to the Grammy awards, way back when. It was the equivalent of lady gaga in that meat dress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wish I saw that! I’m not into TV but have missed some truly fun/interesting/important scenes of contemporary culture. Time to reconfigure my stance on television 🙂 Also watched the Bjork video with the strings (be independent or something like that) and love it too!
LikeLike
wow!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, thanks Daisy!
LikeLiked by 1 person