This poem is a bit longish, so I gave it a page all to itself..... ~*~Goddess~*~ Last night I dreamt that I was a goddess standing on a crystal mountain in a gown made of snowflakes and spun cloudfur translucent and glittering and molding against my perfect form (this was a dream, remember) my hair in a glistening torrent no shampoo ad could ever hope to match. There I stood on that jutting promontory (always wanted to use that word!) with the crescent moon in my outstretched arms and the stars floating softly to jewel my diaphanous (always wanted to use that word too) robes, a snowy panther at my feet, a white peacock perched on my shoulder a coronet of pearls spangling my hair symphonic music in the background and just when I was starting to think this goddess business really was a bit of all right I heard voices. From out of the depths they groaned, they moaned they wailed and wept and remonstrated and pontificated and deliberated and asseverated and grumbled and mumbled and rumbled and droned and whined and whittered and nattered and nagged and boasted and bragged some sang, some sobbed some roared, some rasped and all rose in a mighty prayer they were calling my name with one accord! GODDESS! they cried. HEAR MY PRAYER! "One at a time!" I pleaded-- I was only one Goddess after all. And I heard a man say Make my wife love me! With my arms folded and my eyes rolling I said, "Isn't that your job, son? Next!" And a young girl said, Goddess, make me beautiful! I felt like saying, "Be careful what you ask for, child!" but then decided what the hey, and being the soft touch that I was, I gave her a major makeover. She whirled in delight and whisked out into the world and lo, she became a goddess also. And found out what I had to put up with. Strange to say, she liked it. Then I heard a mother beg, Save my baby! I thought, Now that I can deal with. So I reached out my arms with numinous panache and saved the little rugrat. The mother fell down prostrate thanking me, and she became my slavish devotee singing hymns in my praise setting up a temple in my honor and shrines in my name complete with candles, incense, graven images, the whole works and her kid wished she'd pay more attention to him and I admonished her to do so but she thought it was my evil twin trying to divert her from me. And the boy grew up, and went about telling people I didn't exist. I rather hoped they'd believe him. Then I heard more voices raised in chorus: Save our land! This was a puzzler. It's one thing to save a baby but an entire nation? And I think their enemy had my evil twin on their side. I could hear her snickering into her filmy sleeve. Well. I raised my arms and the peacock flew off fed up with the whole business and the panther growled and I stood for all to see, and they did fight, and I led their armies to victory. And my evil twin was vanquished. She didn't take it well lousy sport that she is. She sent a plague upon both lands. And the people cried to me, Save us! Save us! "Come unto me," spake the evil one, in sweet seductive phony accents, sticking out her tongue at me, "I will save you!" And--you guessed it--they did. They weren't noted for patience. And they turned to utter wickedness and debauchery and wantonness and debasement and decadence and totally tacky decor until I was tempted to send a flood to cover them all. No ark and no rainbows this time. I shouted warning after warning waving my arms, stamping my foot pitching hissy fits complete with thunderbolts and wind and hailstorms and a cussword or two. No one heeded...but then behold, just when I thought I'd lose my wits a strange and holy sound rose high and soft from the abyss: Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep..... And behold, the digital clock said six a.m. and I bounded out of bed shouting Hallelujah! And for once I didn't even hit the snooze button. Index More poetry by Armariel can be read here: Armariel's Enchanted Realm The Antonio Banderas Garden of Dreams Delorita's Songbook