you won’t see her at the crossroads
but she is there
always ahead of where you’re going
she’s got a side that’s dark and blind
go that way, good luck with that
she doesn’t have the time
to give a damn

her magic is all misdirection
and disguise, she slips away from
easy expectations
knows the power in
not really being known
is the author of her own bad rap

she’s a threshold
she’s a gate
she’s the genius of all places
in between

she doesn’t take note of
pedants scolds or fools
she doesn’t bother with
people she can’t like

this is not to say that she won’t fight
the side she chooses
is the side she’s on

if you
lose a child
lose a mother
lose your mind
she has a hand for you
and a lamp for your feet
if danger’s where you’re headed
she won’t let you go alone

if you want the woman in her
what you want is what you’ll see
she lives in a room without a door
it’s not a place where you will ever be

don’t try to please her
she’s had all the pleasing she needs

some night you may see
light flickering through a forest
or across a field like
some otherworldly code
and there she is
running with a marten to scout
and a fox to fetch and a goose
to keep the peace, what a plan
the territory she crosses is all hers
even if it belongs to you

or you may see her
accompanied by fireflies
on your patio
gazing up at the sky
in wonder as if it has not
forever been her home

she stands aside for others
coming in and going out
lets them take what they please
so she knows who they are
she doesn’t want the things
most mortals want
so she has the whole wide world
to give

_________________________
image: “Hubble’s View of a Changing Fan,” NASA http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/pv-cep.html