This poem is inspired by a visit I made to a Shinto shrine in Japan… It is almost obscured in the landscape, entirely hidden from view until you cross a bridge and reach the tiniest of islands housing nothing but this place of worship. The poem blends this experience with a few others from shrine and temple visits in this country, that is so full of them. Photography by the author: Tammy T. Stone Emergence by Tammy Stone The shrine of the tiny island forest allows entry after hurtling gales of wind onto the bridge, until the threshold is crossed. The gods have been pacified by our perseverance, and remark on our long-awaited arrival, like they have been waiting. Dried yellow leaves hang from the gate, slick moss skirts along a log once reaching for the low-hanging sky, dewy but never cold. I fall in the face of beauty every time. I touch my forehead to Earth in reverence for its certainty. The fall deepens, my thoughts absorbed like they ar...
Women's Spiritual Poetry