i will fear nothing i have feared

another writer i love is ursula k leguin. she wrote the most fantastic novel, the left hand of darkness, that i highly recommend if you'd like a story of great adventure and even greater mythical significance and beauty.


she writes poetry too. lately i've been reading a lot of poetry, due in part to the fact that my friends and i are embarking upon a project that involves writers, writing, poetry, stories, words, thinking, creating, and finally and most importantly doing and sharing. we had our first meeting last night and altho the wine flowed freely, i still think we are going to be a mighty and productive little group!


in that light, and in honor of poetry, magic, my own grey hairs, and ursula le guin, i present one of my favorites:

The Old Lady
by Ursula LeGuin

I have dreed my dree, I have wooed my wyrd,
and now I shall grow a five-foot beard
and braid it into tiny braids
and wander where the webfoot wades
among the water's shining blades.
I will fear nothing I have feared.
I'm the queen of spades, the jack of trades,
braiding my knives into my beard.

Why should I know what I have known?
Once was enough to make it my own.
The things I got I will forget.
I'll knot my beard into a net
and cast the net and catch a fish
who will ungrant my every wish
and leave me nothing but a stone
on the riverbed alone,
leave me nothing but a rock
where the feet of herons walk.