Ode to the Banners
These banners are the most revered teacher,
sit by their feet through a morning and evening.
They will shiver with you through chill moonlit nights
and always remind you; we are the proud sails of your heart,
we are the taut sails of your mind,
your heart is as limitless as the winds.
These banners are the elders of your tribe,
calling you to do battle with your demons.
They slap your stupor
and arouse the love heart.
The mother sings a lullaby
on the evening's fragrant winds,
they sing the moment in the evening's warm heart.
They sing this space,
alive and conscious,
made of love,
is your very mind and heart.
Majestic, slow and stately,
or with wild abandon,
whatever your mood,
they will meet you there
and reach out
to carry you to new places.
They sing that you are free
for every sort of dance.
Soft, cozy and lazy,
furious and enticing.
A love bird poised for flight,
you meet everyone you know.
Tired old man and wild maiden,
the cool drifting stream
and hot flamanco warrior.
And when their time is come,
they cheerfully give themselves away.
In a million tatters they eagerly ride the wind,
spreading their message everywhere.
They have not grown old, but just come apart.
A heart that spreads itself to all things,
they were not made to last,
but a loose weave scatters
and lives as bird's nests,
linings of badger den's
and compost for earth's gardens.
Although they seem to disappear
in the evening,
you still hear them,
the well trusted friend,
through the night,
and they await you in the morning.
When the sun rises
they lift you gently
a dew drop at a time.
You raise your hands to heaven,
the breezes and the sun
blow through you.
You have become the flags
