samhain was the day the ladybugs first appeared.
the veil between spirit and earth whispering of crossings
back and forth, these tiny warriors came, dancing on the edge, marching around on my ceiling writing secret maps with their footprints
"this is the way back to soul," they say as they settle in my northeast and northwest corners for the long darkness coming
yet but two found their way to the corner above my bed,
to keep watch over my love and i
these luck bearers keep my focus hourly
when pain is so all encompassing that i almost forget
the ancestors holding court in the north, weaving my faith into a blanket for even the coldest nights
*
in order to pass through to the realms i have always known but hid from
i must release my old ways and loves, daily rituals that no longer serve and demons i have let dance on my back
for the cosmic umbilicus to activate fully
a purging of body, bowel and blood, must take place
she came, cautious and light,
  to visit the tree of my soul (i watch you play in the winds... what changes come?)
nibbling the still green grasses
urging me to visit before the snow
to learn the ways of the deer