Alarmingly Fearless

The center ring is my home.
My dance always draws a crowd.
Dancing in darkness is my specialty,
and it’s getting darker now.

Laugh!
I’m funny.
Laugh. Remember
how good it sounds?

Laugh, look into my mirror,
which no distortion can mar.
It’s alarming, I know,
to see how strong glee can be.

Don’t look away now!
Be fearless. Understand
you are powerful in your joy.

Fashion a sword and shield
from laughter in the dark.
Protect the one in the mirror’s reflection.
Their joy is needed.


This poem marks a first in that I hit all three suggested prompts for the Toads's Play It Again Toads. The first one was Word Count With Mama Zen (Is Your Life a Circus/ 90 words or less). The second was the Way of Tea (base a poem on a poem by famous tea master Sen Rikyu. I chose, "See with your eyes! Listen with your ears! And if you wish to smell the fragrance, press for an explanation of every unresolved matter until your understanding is complete."). The third was Kerry's Word Challenge, Gods In Nature (write from the point of view of an old god). I took a little poetic license with the original assignment as written, and went with a different pantheon from the ones suggested. I chose Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto (sometimes known simply as Uzume) from Japanese Shinto lore. She was the goddess who got Amaterasu (the sun goddess) to come out of the cave in which she was hiding by performing a bawdy dance. One of her epithets was Alarming Heavenly Female.

26 comments:

  1. This made me giggle all the way from my belly to my heart. I can totally see Uzume do her thing, wearing a red scarf as a whip and her hips as a prop. I'm always enchanted by gods and goddesses who do what they must in order to keep the world going.

    I'm laughing. You're funny! ;-)

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  2. Luv the dance and the dancer who commands center stage. And I do agree why be afraid to be happy. We should all look in the mirror's reflection and dance for Joy


    Much love...

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  3. This is flipping fantastic.

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  4. What piano warm said.

    And how I love the appellation Alarming Heavenly Female, and the whole scenario!

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    1. That's got to be one of the best epithets ever. It's very inspiring :D

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  5. Alarming heavenly female! I love that, Rommy. This poem brought so many ideas together and reminded me to laugh, especially when the going gets tough.

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    1. I'm glad I was able to allude to multiple things with this one

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  6. Alarming Heavenly Female.

    That's an interesting description, Rommy! One gets to be 'performing' like one in life and get the accolades!

    Hank

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    1. LOL, I can't take credit for the epithet, but it did make me want to know more about her story!

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  7. 'you are powerful in your joy...'--You are! I rejoice to see it, and with joy you give hope, for without it, what is the point? Beautiful stuff, in message and in method.

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    1. Thanks, hope was one of the ideas I really wanted to convey.

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  8. "Fashion a sword and shield from laughter..." Lovely. :-) Loved this.

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  9. Your last verse just blew me away! I love that myth too but the poem stands alone, just as powerful even if you don't know it.

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    1. That is a wonderful compliment! Thank you so much <3

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  10. Enjoyed this Joy. Kind of you to share.

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  11. Fantastic!!!
    Fashion a sword and shield
    from laughter in the dark.
    Protect the one in the mirror’s reflection.
    Their joy is needed.
    Brilliant!!!!

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    1. :) Figuring out how to end it in under 90 words was tough, but I'm happy with how it worked.

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  12. Oh, I do love the joy in this. My fave lines:

    "Be fearless. Understand
    you are powerful in your joy.

    Fashion a sword and shield
    from laughter in the dark."

    I want to shout them and paint them on my daughter's walls, that she may remember them as she grows.

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. That's one of the best things anyone can say about my work <3 Thank you so much!

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  13. Oh, you're so goddamed smart:
    "Understand you are powerful in your joy."
    Loved this, lady.

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