When I was young
the wild god came to me
I found his graven image
in a shop by the sea
and wore it on a silver chain
between my breasts
and learned the arts
of womanhood
and you should know the rest
I found my heart’s desire
the pendant broke in two
I put the remnants aside
And thought of them no more
Years went by and I
became a dull thing, a statue
stone mermaid on the prow
and now
the spark of me lay buried
somewhere in the skeletal cage
somewhere in the labyrinthine mind
It was time
for a change
And so I dreamt an invocation
of the goat god
the mythical swain
Wild Pan of the mountaintops
player of pipes, chaser of nymphs
god of forests and wanting
I called upon him unknowing
and drew upon me
both a blessing and a curse
the thing I never knew I’d wanted
Be careful what you wish for
you might be left
Wanting