Milk and Blood

Oh my dear one, my darling one, oh-
see how the angel's trumpets have unfurled
to announce that you are coming home.

Oh my sweet one, my ever young one, oh-
I have my reddest cap ready
to see you safely home.

Drink up the magic, little one,
along with your milk and blood,
until you are big enough to tip your sword
with the monkshood growing on the hill.

Oh my cherished one, my loved one, oh -
Mamma has raised many seedlings
and she'll lose none of them to any
who threaten her home.



Song Choice: Not the Villain by SJ Tucker

This poem is linked up to the Tuesday Platform in Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads and Poets United, Poetry Pantry 418.

47 comments:

  1. Milk, blood and magic -- the breakfast of champions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bwahahaha! Debra darling, your wit completes me.

      Delete
    2. ROTFL, I'm picturing famous witches on the boxes of Wheaties now.

      Delete
  2. This is incredibly heartfelt💖 I love the image of seedlings near the end which emphasizes the power of unconditional love which a mother harbors for her children.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Full of magic and potential mayhem! I would not want to tangle with this momma!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I love this. It's like a ballad, a fairy story, an adventure and a magic spell all rolled into one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most excellent! I was going for that fairy tale feel

      Delete
  5. Ooh, this is magical, and the mystery of this tale makes it all the more exciting. But there's a sweetness to it too, which balances the counterpoint very well.
    -HA

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is like a flash fairy tale, Rommy, with the reddest cap, the magic, the sword and poisonous monkshood. There has to be a witch in there somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *grin* Yes, there should be, shouldn't there?

      Delete
  7. I so much love this... it feels like it should be set to music... and even in the sweetness there is the shadow of the poisonous monkshood

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a lot of fun trying to balance the sweetness with the menace in it.

      Delete
  8. I love the not repeating, but kind of repeating lines in the first of every stanza, it gives it a very cool structure and rhythm. Loving and lifting, a real gem. Great work!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Herotomost. I was looking for that unified feel between verses.

      Delete
  9. Magical and poignant...this is beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. fascinating draw of all kinds of wonderful elements, culled from a host of tales, fairy and darker as well, and it has just enough of an edge to make it deliciously interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely wanted that bit of edge peeping out

      Delete
  11. This mum means business. The milk/blood mixture reminds of the Masai tribe in East Africa...they drink it (although not sure if there's magic involved). You penned a spell right there.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A mother's love is protectively fierce and all consuming when her young are threatened with danger. Your poem reflects this passionately.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I wonder what grows, reared on milk, blood and magic.. but how fantastic will it be!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. There is nothing like the fierceness of a mother protecting her own.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm loving lust with the tone of this poem, and with the repetition--they are like a chant dancing with a song that has felt the touch of love... and curses, like magic chanted in the deep of the woods to create cradles and more.

    I hope you plan to read this one aloud for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, I do plan on recording this one. I'm having a blast with this whole series of poems, but yes, this one does call for a read-aloud version. Probably around Halloween.

      Delete
  16. This is a song directly from a mother's heart.. I felt my own mothering heart pang with longing for my own seedlings so far away.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Coming home brings about so many thoughts! Enjoyed this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the idea of coming home does bring to mind all sorts of things.

      Delete
  18. I love your poem and think i enjoyed Debra's comment just as much!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love this! It's the kind of poem I'd want to read outside, curled up in a chair with a blanket. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh! I LOVE that idea. Thanks for the kind words.

      Delete
  20. Great job channelling a fairy tale vibe through a piece that speaks to every Mom's heart. I can imagine a series in this vein, it is such a unique 'take'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a subject that could yield some rich imagery, for sure.

      Delete
  21. What motherly strength and incredible poignancy you have put into this beautiful poem Rommy. This is really beautiful and strong writing.

    ReplyDelete