Please enjoy this poem and image by Ariana Harley
Naked on the Throne
I have worn the costume
of politician
beggar
housewife
doctor
of killer
soldier
cook
and thief.
You have known me as
mother
lover
child
stranger.
But I don’t want to play Halloween
any longer.
Teacher,
deafen my ears
to finally hear
Sound.
Navigating the path
beyond
the wheel,
with nothing left
to negotiate,
I’ll stand naked
on the throne.
Ariana Harley graduated with a BFA from The Pacific Northwest College of Art. She also learned on American highways and street corners. She hitchhiked across the United States, Europe, and part of Mexico. She studied art made by the hands of masters and hung in galleries, but also the art made in the streets—drawings by children, architecture, nature and art made by decay. She rode freight trains for a short time. Held the hands of her father in death and was the first to touch her daughter after her birth. She stared at a sunrise at 3 a.m. and witnessed miracles from the belly of a whale. Her heros vary greatly in size and shape. Some are famous. Most are not. Her spiritual teacher is her greatest treasure.
Beautiful, meaningful words. I think I must print and keep this to enjoy over and over again.
I love the introspection this poem generates. Halloween was my favorite holiday for many years, but I too dropped it a couple decades ago. No more pretense; no more persona — celestial goals. This poem speaks so much truth in such powerful images. It is truly Master-ful. Thank you, Ariana, for the poetry, and Lesley for sharing it.
Rudy, I feel the same way about the poem. I had never seen the parallel of Halloween with the many identities I’ve worn in this life and past, but it is such an apt metaphor. Truly, joy comes when all identity drops away leaving us naked before the Beloved.