Poured out onto the alter
The last drop
Offered to the gods
Nothing is left to even wet her lips
Blackened pleading eyes seeking the skies for answers
Desperately looking for signs of appeasment
Silence
Empty bleeding palms raised with the sun
Bowing her head
There was nothing left
Unless…….
Stripping herself naked
She stood before the alter
Laying her own body upon it
Holding the sacrificial dagger between her breasts
With one last breath she held it above herself
Ready to thrust it between them
She screamed with all her angst and her fury, her last cry
With shaking hands she plunged the dagger ferociously pricking her skin, releasing a single drop of anaemic blood
But that is all that was shed
For although her hands trembled with all of her strength, desperately pulling the dagger towards her pulsating heart
She could not make the dagger act in the manner it was designed
She opened her eyes vexed
Immediately she was drawn to a single hand that held a death grip upon the blade
It was a mighty grip
Yet not a drop of blood escaped from the clutches of the hand
She could see the softness of the skin
It appeared to be supple and warm just like her own, yet it was impenetrable
She had sharpened the blade herself
She new it was razor sharp
A voice warm, deep and succulent spoke
“Daughter you have been heard, arise, dress and walk beside me.”
Silently
Shaking
She arose
Dressed, she looked upon the man standing before her
Adorned in a simple robe
He glowed softly, yet brilliantly
She could not speak
As she took her place beside him
“My child” he said
“I have waited for you a long time, I have watched you work with diligence. You have been careful to manage the land, the crops and the fields. I have been waiting to bless you, why have you been waiting so long?”
She could not hide the confusion and the hurt upon her soiled face
“I have given you everything.” she croaked, barely able to utter a sound from her parched throat
“Have you?” he asked
She looked upon the wretched ground that she had worshipped
She thought upon all the sacrifices she had made for it.
The sacrifices she had made of herself, for everything in it
How she had cared for the land and of how much it had cost her. What more could she have given?
He looked at her, knowingly, with compassion for he saw her love but also her error
Waiting for the answer to dawn upon her.
She looked to the dry earth
The wizened trees and the dust that blew effortlessly in the hot air.
I have given everything I had, she thought to herself, yet nothing has grown, I have sown riches into dust, and dust is all that I have grown.
“But you did not give me you.” he said quietly, lifting her chin tenderly with his hand.
Looking deep into her eyes
Her hands fell limply to her sides
Her shoulders fell
She felt hot tears ooze like lava down her dry face, as she felt despair and confusion
“Are you ready now daughter?” the man asked her.
“Yes”, she wept (even though she still felt confusion and a little unsure about what he meant…. she wondered why he was asking her to give her all ……….when all, was exactly what she had given!)
And so she wept tears of confusion but also surrender to whatever was to come.
Her tears dropped to the dust on the ground
They fell like diamonds that planted themselves at her feet…..
……a small green tendril arose from each drop that landed, she didn’t notice, because she could not see clearly through her cascading tears.
The man looked at her again, and with his deep honeyed voice said,
“Daughter you must give yourself freely, so that blessings can freely grow, Daughter you bless the ground with your tears, because they are you, and you shall be a part of the growth around you.”
“Daughter… it is worthless to sacrifice yourself. For your very being is the key to abundance and expansion. Sacrificing yourself is to sacrifice the growth of the Universe. You must do more than merely survive. You must thrive and nourish yourself. You must be the greatest and most fullest expression of yourself. For as you do so, everything around you also does the same. As you are fed, then you shall also feed others. Do you understand yet daughter? Be the fullest most radiant you. In this way, every soul shall be blessed through you. This is how you love others. Daughter you must love yourself as much as you love others”
“This is what it is, to give yourself to others.”
His words hit their mark, like the dagger she had held…..sharper, more painful.
She collapsed, her body wracking with sobs of grief, sorrow from her error, she let herself flow to the ground, her truth, her shame, her disappointment, confusion, love and remorse.
But it did not take long before she started to feel lighter. Relief slowly wrapped around her, warming her body. Strength slowly returned, as she lay down on a small patch of vibrant green grass that had sneakily appeared at her feet
Upon it she rested as she felt restoration envelope her.
She observed the wisdom she had always known from a different perspective now.
She saw the green growth and a little smile of wonder began to turn her mouth
The magic of the universe was revealing itself
For now, she rested, but her plans and her power began to expand……
Just as the green grass beneath her slowly began to expand around her.
She did not notice that the glowing man had vanished
As her mind began to run in excitement thinking about the possibilities.
Little Wren 