Artemis

I Am Queen of the Night

sure-aiming,

swift-footed, lithe of body,

crescent, nimble

in the pale light of the moon.

I Am teacher of children

running free in the wildwood.

I Am leader of womben

fierce and self-delighting,

priestess of nymphs,

lover of lovers,

beloved, magical, awesome.

Lady of Beasts, Bitch Goddess,

I run with My baying hounds,

huntress and protector.

Creating, sustaining, destroying,

I celebrate the undying cycles of the moon.

My consort is goat-footed Pan of the pipes,

green-man, deer-man, corn-man.

I welcome Dionysus to the revels,

slipping away before the Bacchanal,

One-in-Myself, Virginal,

into the untracked wilderness

of truth.

© Tamara Rasmussen 2018