Preparing to Greet the Goddess

Do not think of her

unless you are prepared

to be driven to your limits,

to rush forth from yourself

like a ritual bowl overflowing

with sacramental wine.

Do not summon her image

unless you are ready to be blinded,

to stand in the flash

of a center exploding,

yourself shattering into the landscape,

wavering bits of bark and water.

Do not speak her name

until you have said good-bye

to all your familiar trinkets --

your mirrors, your bracelets,

your childhood adorations --

From now on you are nothing,

a ghost sighing at the window,

a voice singing under water.