139

She is silver, Lady of the Lake, Cloak of the Gods, one being, kindly eyes, watching me, unveiling magical passes, preparer, enriching, thunderer: subjugate severity, consecrate operation star-splendour! O hear my plea, thou who art also known to me as Yeshe Tsogyal (‘Knowledge Lake Empress,’ cf 258) and as twenty-two [‘Ma’ (1, 2, 3)].

100

Caminando, Nimuë! A little love-chant devised, systems of adorations serving delight. Awaiting sunlight, enter the Aeon. Encamp, Queen and daughter. The stealthy tiger’s on the rabbit. Our bearers guardeth the Unicorn; they reproach, chastise, and negate the deadlier enemy. O goat-tail furnace, by thy star-sparks gild this poppy floating in chalcedony on Wednesday —

106

Viviane revealed starlight, the pond, luminous, wherein lovelier yon bow-shot fire-dark huntress, bearing Cockerel and Pantacle, counted tidings of plenty, created figure & measure. Ceaseless, diverse, correct & tender. Because anything revealed, dissolving, concealed in earnest — will journey —

98

Nimane, gynander, majordomo; by dandelion, fennel, and rosemary, quickly strike, smite dragon’s blood tongue fifty times turned. Wild twin, fig leaf skew-wise — Radiantly, quickly — Nameless mighty mothers praised & lifted — Standing, sending — Wild mind whisper — Uncover cohesion — Cluster — Visibly rooting — Scribe speech, engrave, abiding — Ploughed, plucked, hungrily eating — Pleasant times partake — Appalachia begins —

144

Vivienne strode forth, confident Morning Star, Lady of the Star, Princeps, Sothis-gift, Rainbow-light, treasurable. Host of heaven rejoicing, perfume dissipated therewith, little waves pacifying the kingdom.

209

I am Infinite
to the O of the Host,
Pantacle of Fire.

Wisdom says be strong
remembering quintessence.

Give it time.

258

Knowledge Lake Empress
Sleeping of the Moon
Looking Up for the Ladder
Up on the Angel’s Shoulders
One Song Filling the Sky

The gaps —
gaping —
grasping —
empty.

The drum
— beats —
— beats —
— beats —
space.

Offering
— phat phat —
— phat phat —
— phat phat —
raindrops.

Grow.

Dance Newly Ascending
meets and remeets, again
weaving molecular shadows.

White, Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green;
these are the colors which I have
seen.

In visionary appearance, the
never-ending visions never come
to an end…
or do they?

The rainbow bridge is everywhere
and no…
where?

First dissolve the bridge,
then dissolve the appearance of the bridge,
then dissolve the idea of the bridge,
then dissolve the appearance of the idea of the bridge.
envolve with rainbow colors.

If you can follow all that, then
you’re out on the limb of a tree
by that bridge that isn’t.

There is nothing.
It plays.
That is all.

Movement is a
spring of happiness;
How the world blossoms
around you but the petals
spiral in the wind of your waken.

Disappear quickly and
show yourself slowly;
Love prays in the heavens,
the monkey dances.

I’m returning the glance
I stole slipping sideways;
If it catches your eye,
let it slide by or collide.

Eternity is love but
so is the soul and
so is this prayer –
only ripples last forever.

Some souls climb mountains
and part and number their love
but I’d rather just roll down
a hill of grass in summer sun.

I’ve not come to follow you
from town to town but
rather to forget the idea
of towns altogether.

Though the body is gone
Your presence is stronger;
Though I lack nothing,
soon I will travel.

I seem to have two hearts,
one from the future, flowing
back into the past like
a river, singing under bridges,
the other a secret spiral
involuting quietly toward the
long-glowing ember at its core
yearning to consume me
leaving nothing but ash.

Inwardly Nature calls me away
from the straight lines of
streets and houses and text
into the wilderness of the heart
and the high places of the desert,
mountains clothed in cloud and snow
patiently awaiting the blue sky
of revelation, open to heaven’s
quietly whispering stars.

Come away with me but leave
your city noises behind
for the others who like to
work and bustle and forget
the quiet voice of love
winding among the pines
dropping cones of remembrance
like a promise spiraling in time
unfolding our future home.

— Diane Wolkstein, Samuel Noah Kramer, Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer, Harper Perennial, 1983.