Sex, Violence, Poetry, and Random Links: Not Necessarily In That Order

[kiya]

eyebrowsmcgee has produced some really neat preacherifying for Holy Week. Recommended for Christians and Christian-friendly sorts who want a shiny thought to play with.

In my strange world in which all my whims were satisfied, How AWESOME Will It Be?: A Teenager's Guide to Understanding and Preparing for the Second Coming would not have no Amazon reviews. It would have at least one. And that one would be written by elfwreck.

Have spent the last day and a half or so more or less insane. Was unable to deal with it for much of this time for various reasons; thus, spent a lot of today engaged in vigorous displacement activity. This led to the doing of a load of laundry, a load of dishes (including the washable stove components), the cleaning of the stovetop, the cleaning of floor around the stove, decluttering the foyer and slaying many dust bunnies, discovering that a suitcase was full of cat piss and cleaning that up, watering the plants, and cleaning out the right-hand soap dish in the bathroom.

My mead ferment came unstuck; my jasmine water and orange blossom water have arrived.

Added to to-write list: seeking homes; possibly something about fear/vulnerability.

Much processing around a bit of personality fragment that needs to be dealt with. Only slightly mad. Also dealt with the crazy eventually, as well as it can be done, by talking it out with arawen. (Among other things, mmm.) But it matters so much to have him willing to deal with my crazy with efficiency, even if there's nothing really to be done about it other than support and let time pass. (Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.)

I say: if I must walk with woman's hips
Then I will take a cobra for my belt.
If words I speak be said with woman's lips
Then let that voice be one with power dealt
In its low murmurings. And if I hold
With woman's hands, then I will claim the right
To woman's axe, the double blade, the old
Well-sharpened mark of potent woman's might.
If I must be as woman is adorned
Then I will claim the starry sky for crown
Or else in cow's remembrance will go horned
And wearing jewelry crafted out of bone.
If you of womankind me would affirm
Then recognise and know: these are my terms.

I wonder what people who don't have the context for it will make of that. Also, typing it out, the word 'woman' doesn't look like a word anymore, which has its own ironies.


Shower, full moon Rite, bed.

Comments

[elf]

I am not forking over $14+shipping (new) nor $9+shipping (used) for Mormon propaganda. I have GURPS books on my wallet's waiting list.

That said, I'll poke around & see if maybe the local libraries carry it. I'd be happy to write a review; I bet I'd have fun with it. (If I could keep from throwing it against the wall. Then again, I did get through most of Silver Broomstick, and I didn't even tear out any pages.) Or if you know anyone with a copy (hah!) who's willing to part with such a meaningful text, send it my way, and I'll not only post an Amazon review, I'll post a LiveJournal review full of the stuff Amazon won't let me get away with saying.

However, I have not yet achieved the level of Oneness with Eris that allows me to write lengthy, insightful book reviews based entirely on the cover photo and author bio. (I have considered it. The Hot Lead situation is nothing short of inspirational. SJ Games' comments (about 3/4 of the way down the page; July 6) are, umm, illuminating.)

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like that poem.

[ardaniel]

Dooce gave that book a bit of a savaging in her blog the other day...

...and promptly got a hurt and outraged piece of hatemail from the author's niece. Go fig.

[brooksmoses]

There are poems which want to be written on walls or carved into stone and made a part of things that are a part of place and of life. That's one of them. I quite like it.

(And it probably shows that I've been architecture-noodling lately.)

Does the orange-blossom water smell as nice as one would hope it would?

[kiya]

Very floral; not terribly orangey, but I wasn't expecting that much.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

I am so tempted to buy that book. Which reminds me, however, that I really must check whether our kids are adequately supplied with the religious reading matter of their choice. I like the potem.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Er, poem. I guess the clumsiness hasn't worn off yet, then.

[elf]

p.s. tell me you've heard Leslie Fish (or someone) sing Kipling's "Female of the Species" so I don't need to convert it & email it to you. 'Cos if you haven't, you definitely need to.

[kiya]

I don't believe I have; I will poke around and see if I can find it to spare your conversions. :}

[ethaisa.livejournal.com]

Lovely, powerful poem.

[thastygliax.livejournal.com]

Well...I know you adore Hathor, but what IS the context beyond that? Cool poem, regardless.

My not-terribly-holy Easter weekend will largely consist of keeping the kids amused while M is at a couple of gaming things, doodling on eggs if we can find the time for it, and letting the Blackbird hunt for plastic ones. Also, for a few years now, I've wanted to re-watch Ben-Hur around that time of year, and finally found a dirt-cheap copy at Goodwill a few weeks ago. Now I just have to find 3.5 hours (probably in pieces) when the kids won't be awake to be frightened by the violent scenes.

[kiya]

In-system discussion of gender and gender presentation. Specifically, one of me is apparently transgendered but flexible about it.

[mindways]

Oooh. Good poem. That opening couplet is a kicker; reaches out and GRABS you.

(And I'd guess that people who don't have context would be somewhat thrown by "in cow's rememberance will go horned". :) But other than that, even without knowing the specific references, the feeling comes through strongly.)

[kiya]

The first couplet I've had since Thursday, and I've been kicking around for the images for the rest since then.

[autumnesquirrel.livejournal.com]

I like the poem very much.

[linenoise.livejournal.com]

I *like* the poem. Is very good.

[keshwyn]

Excellent poem. Very Mediterranean in touch, so it speaks quite strong to me. (I can see you crowned with stars and with snake in your hands...)

[arianadawnhawk.livejournal.com]

I really like the poem. The only reference I don't quite get is the cobra belt. Minoan snake priestesses?

Does Hathor wear bone jewelry?

And thanks for pointing me at Eyebrows's post.

[kiya]

Serpent as a representation or symbol of female divinity or associated with priestesses is fairly common around the Mediterranean. (The cobra is one of the determinants for a goddess in Egyptian, among others.)

The bone jewelry was a warrior-goddess reference in general; oneironaut suggested I should use a necklace of skulls, but that was a wee bit too specific for my taste. ;)

Eyebrows = Koi, in case you weren't aware.

[arianadawnhawk.livejournal.com]

I dig the warrior-goddess bone jewelry idea - I may have to see what Scathach thinks of that one.

Heh, yeah I knew who Eyebrows was. I just remember her asking me to link to her as Eyebrows, not Koi, because she had had problems with stalkers.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

That poem. Brooks is right. It needs to be carved somewhere. For some reason it hit me right where I live, and I'm putting it in memories.

[ashlupa.livejournal.com]

*Like* the poem. Looking around for something to engrave it on...