One of the things I'm continually drawn to during my visits to Southeast Asia, and particularly Thailand, is the prevalence of spirit houses… The spirit houses are large and small, and dot the landscape as a form of protection, as well as dwelling place for the gods. You can find them in the yards or front entrances of personal and public spaces, and they hail back to when Animism was the main form of worship in the region. The custom of spirit houses survived the arrival of Buddhism, and co-exists comfortably with it in the minds and hearts of the people. I'm not an expert in spirit houses and all their uses and meanings and the poem very much reflects my own subjective imaginings of them; as evidence of a beautiful and long-standing tradition, they captivate me. "Spirit House' photograph by the author, Tammy Stone Spirit House by Tammy Stone The spirit houses of the East – intricate, gilded edifices or wooden and almost-broken-down – stan...
Women's Spiritual Poetry