GUARDIANS

	

	
I stand at the center,
	with the morning sun
		on my face,
	And the evening twilight
		at my back.

Cold winds demand
	the attention of my left hand,
With the flaming noon
	to my right.

And at my feet,
	a swirling, watery vortex
	into which I must leap.
I am given no time to prepare,
	and I must trust
		that my connections will hold.

The Guardians stand
	at the corners.
Each blessing me in turn
	with the substance of their beings.

Covered in white wings
	I step off into
		the Void.
The darkness has substance,
	and fills my eyes, my nostrils,
		my mouth.
I am packed in the stuff of darkness.

And I emerge into a haven
	with permission to rest.

The Guardians surround me
	in a circle dance
	of shifting symbols
	and archetypes.

Offering a pattern of
	connections.

				-Hue Walker, 1992