For Kuro

It feels like we just met

Seventeen years ago

I insisted I did not like cats

You didn’t seem to care about that

You wrapped your paws around my neck

Buried your face in mine

You became my boy that day

 

You were quiet at first, often hiding

Your brother, Aoshi, the loud one, the outgoing one

You so gentle and soft, quiet and affectionate

When he died all that changed

 

You were there, we made sure of it

You cuddled with him a bit, not quite knowing

Soon it dawned when we went home

and he stayed behind

 

You understood soon enough

Then something amazing happened

You came out, were loud, and demanded attention

You had taken your brother’s place

 

My sweet boy

You crawled into laps and curled into chests

You whined loud enough to wake the dead at mealtime

You purred so loud I could feel it when we cuddled

 

Weeks have passed since we saw each other

This damn isolation

You recognized me on the screen when I called

Purred and nuzzled the screen

 

Your Mom called me

You had taken a turn for the worst

Despite good food, medicine, and care

Nothing else could be done

 

I ran home, up the stairs

So small, so tired

You stared at me with your beautiful green eyes

You held on for me

 

O my sweet boy

I held you and I know you knew

I heard your gasping meow

I felt your sweet, slow heart

 

It ripped at me to see you like this

Yet blessed too

You held on for me

So I could hold you

 

We prayed, all of us, your Mom and I

To Freyja, to Bast, to Sekhmet, to Hela

That your death was as painless as could be

That it was quick

That your brother walked with you at the end

That you know we love you

 

An hour later the call came through

You were dead, your pain at an end

My eyes filled with tears

My heart with sorrow, prayers answered

 

I ache that this was the first time I saw you

In eight weeks

But blessed to see you

Before you had to go

 

Rest well my sweet boy

Rest and know we hear you

Walk with your brother and Ancestors

Visit us when you can

I love you, Kuro

A Prayer of Praise to Holy Healers

Hail Mengloth, Jotun Goddess whose hands heal and wisdom preserves health of body, mind, and soul!

Who knows the ways to knit flesh and bone

Who knows the ways to bring vitality and vigor

Who teaches those who listen in the holy arts of healing!

Whose work staunches the blood of wounds

Who guards the lines of the heart so all is kept free from infection

Whose skillful hands knit the skin and flesh that every wound may become a scar

Whose wisdom of herbs and medicine makes every illness become renewed vigor

Thank You for blessing the doctors, nurses, techs, and healers with wisdom, skill, care, and prudence!

Hail Mengloth!  Ves ðu heil!

 

Hail O Eir, Aesir Goddess of the healing hands!

O Wise Goddess who teaches the eager to learn how to heal!

O Battle Medic whose hands have tended the flesh from the bite of wood, bone, bronze, iron, steel, and powder!

O Careful One who brings the healing teams together in purpose!

Thank You! You have blessed the doctors, the nurses, the techs, the healers with care, caution, wisdom and skillful work!

Hail Eir! Ves ðu heil!

 

Io Asklepios, Divine Physician!

Io to the Son of Apollon and Koronis!

Io Kheiron’s Son!

O Wielder of the Serpent-Staff

Whose hands have healed holy and mortal flesh alike

Whose lessons have instructed the countless lines of doctors, nurses, techs, and all those who heal

Whose work has saved the lives of countless people

Whose wisdom has been preserved that the work and art of healing has continued

At Whose side stands Telesphorus that health and recovery are one in healing

Thank You for blessing the doctors, nurses, techs, and staff with knowledge, skill, care, and wisdom!

Io Asklepios! Khairete!

 

O Imhotep, Divine Physician

Whose words and works have blessed the world

In whose hands and heart Thoth worked good blessings

In whose mind and heart was brilliance and its blessings shared with every doctor and physician, every surgeon and assistant

O Wise Teacher, thank You, for Your lessons and writings that taught all who followed and read of You how to heal!

O Divine Physician, thank You, for your skill has blessed the harmed and sick with health and vigor!

O Divine Surgeon, thank You, for Your skill has delivered life from death!

O Supreme Magician, thank you, for Your Words and Works yet give wisdom, yet give insight, yet strive out sickness, and yet heal!

Em Hotep, Dua, Dua Neter en-ek O Imhotep!

O Great Matronae!

O Great Matronae!  Grandmothers and Mothers of countless peoples!  O Daughters, O Childless, O Guardians!  Whose tribes range the Worlds!  Whose Voices call to us!

We hear and we return!  We hear and we seek!  We hear and we exult!
O Matronae of lands, skies, and seas!  Whose blessings pour out into all the places great and small!  Whose Ways are sought!

O Grandmothers who have kept all Their ways of wisdom, help us to know Your ways of wisdom!
O Mothers who have kept all Their ways of doing, help us to know how do well!
O Daughters who have kept the fires of youth burning, help us to burn with vigor!
O Childless who have kept Their own ways in life, help us to keep our own ways in life!
O Guardians who have kept Their vigil, help us to keep our vigils!

O Great Matronae!  You have called and we answered!  Hear our voices raised!  See and accept the offerings we give!  Hear us, and know our names!

Sigyn Project: Day 23

Thank You, Gentle Lady

You have shown me that holding the bowl

That being the one Who listens

Is Victory when pain is contained

or cast out

 

Thank You Holy Goddess

You have shown me how hard it is

to hold with quaking hands

Yet to hold still

because it is the right thing

 

Thank You Blessed Sigyn

You have shown me through others

the depth of love You have

for Your children, for us,

and all who come to You

 

Thank You Sigyn

For humbling me

For gifting me with Your Presence

though I am not Your child

and for showing me new ways

of love and frith

 

Hail Sigyn!

Hail, Hail, Hail!