Watchword
written by: Elizabeth Barton
@DestinyAngel25
The watchword of Venus is cast on the ocean,
Riding the wave of the magic syllable,
Building a rhythm at the shores of her temple
With moonlight jewelled on the undulating sea.
The mystery is in the lull of night air,
In the pause between the inward breath
And the sigh of the outgoing tide,
The swell of the deep rises in the lungs
Filling the throat with glorious voice;
Thrown down are the spears of ageless stars
To strike the waves with shimmering light,
Dancing the weave of sinuous melodies.
The mythic script falls below the waterline
Where Neptune’s playground once held sway,
Its cursive wave rolls in the architects’ ruins,
Covert in the barnacles of watery graves.
Elizabeth Barton is an artist and poet from New Zealand, with work featured in Pink Plastic House, Fevers of the Mind, Black Bough Poetry’s Rapture and Christmas/Winter Edition 2021 and Vita Brevis Literature, Nothing Divine Dies. A winner of the 2020 White Label Cinq competition, she has a forthcoming poetry collection to be published by Hedgehog Poetry Press. Her art is in private and public collections worldwide, including the V & A Prints Collection, London.
Latest posts by Elizabeth Barton (see all)
- Rain in Pirongia - April 12, 2024
- Delight of Cows - June 14, 2023
- Splendor Solis - December 23, 2022
