The Runes

The Ancient Modern

The Runes (A Sonnet from a Damaged Manuscript) /  Joshua Alan Sturgill

       ...who studies them 
with care                  will soon observe
Her secret tongue 
                         at once antique and new
Yet linked by strands
  …of focused thought, that serve
            The 
stone is as the mountain 
      Silver-hued
where, hemorrhaged 
                  by storms or deserts lined
Stirred suddenly to life 
                                by rite, perform
Companions of the Moon 
 …the Moon-lit mind
                    A 
movement of the outmost toward the Form
These mystic incantations, 
said aloud         ...
And wordless mystery. 
                                      Together, take
a balance 
                       then, the pillar and the cloud
                             Their 
fragile union, left to mend or break
Contained herein: a record 
of the Way
which, once embraced 
           —She never can decay

All poetry and supplementary material: copyright 2019 by Joshua Alan Sturgill