Mythical Ritual Sound
Poetry
Every thirteenth Moon
The sound of the Phoenix
Circles the gateway
Repeating its form
Thrice before dawn;
Cloaking, uncloaking
In Quicksilver. When you
Listen close you see
The eyes of all birds taken.
Hear their screeching screams
As if in a blue lighted dream
Some fates are worse than death.
Their courageous souls could not be crushed
Reminding us, we cannot escape
The pain of living without
Escaping the joys of living.
So fifty-six cycles after Summer Solstice
With the Blue Moon
The voice of the wind as Phoenixes
Seem to whisper from ancient shores.
N.Y. Haynes is the author of The Space Between Seconds (Atmosphere Press, 2020). She is a poet and playwright, as well as an avid athlete currently residing in New York. Her poetry can be found in various publications.