New and Old Undine Poems (and a "casting call")

Undine Poems

Introduction: I will update this section from time to time as I write more poems. For example, the second and third below I wrote a few days ago after a four day photography seminar with Bryce Denison (Midwest Photography Workshop, mpw.com) at the Michigan Dunes.

Another poem, Inner Undine, I wrote for Sarah the night before I did a shoot with her.

In effect, all of these poems constitute casting calls, that is, I am actively looking for models, actresses, mediums, psychics, magicians, initiates, etc. who can at least temporarily reflect through their personalities the extraordinary empathy, magnetic attraction, divine sensuality, and loving receptivity of the undines.

The four undines I interact with in my book, Undines, often mention that human women will learn to embody all that they are--all their qualities and magical powers of love. Consequently, to this end, I am putting together short video poems as a way of assembling a story board for a movie.

I wish to capture on film the difficulties and accomplishments of women in regard to mastering the water element and the magnetic fluid within it. The magnetic fluid is a magical description of the essence of the feminine spirit. Given the gifts I have been given and the tasks I seek to accomplish, I am not allowed to fail in this endeavor.

(Words from the story of Istiphul in the book, Undines)

The Undine Istiphul

He sensed her fragrance in the wind

Her touch in the spray and drops of water running down his skin

Her voice in the sounds of the breaking waves

No wonder then she appears to him

Speaking words woven from wind and water, out of sky and sea,

Saying,

I have the skill and the will to create a sacred space

Where two separate souls may as one embrace.

On behalf of the human race, he responds,

This is not so easily done.

She persists:

In this moment, by the rhythm of the waves

And their foamy crests, by the ocean’s vast depths,

I exist only to fulfill your needs;

I give of myself that your dreams may be complete,

For such is the power of love—

To fuse the deepest desires in one

With the deepest desires in the other.

Can’t you see that I have taken on form and shape

That you may taste the sea in its intimacy?

He replies,

Though I sense you inside me, part of me, and one with me,

Though I taste what you taste—

That the essence of water is ecstasy,

When you leave me, your love like a spell

Will dissolve and the taste will fade away

Like the light of the setting sun.

This is not about me, about undines, or the sea.

You must search your heart till every barrier

Separating one from another is cast aside forever.

Perhaps if you teach me the magic of water

I might find in myself your receptive grace—

To freely embrace another without restrictions or limitations.

What do you sense in my presence?

I sense the open ocean—the sounds, scents, and sensations

Of waves stretching from horizon to horizon.

There is more, for in love there is no separation.

Relax, let go, flow

Feel at the core of your being the foam sailing free

From a thousand waves and the songs of release they are singing.

Let your body feel the vastness of the sea flowing through it.

Become the primordial sea—

Feel its heartbeat, its breath, its currents, its tides,

And myriads of life forms dwelling within it.

Let go and be as I am—the soul of the sea.

I can unite with the vast magnetic expanse that encircles the earth

But where in this is the power of love?

The sea contains an ancient dream—

To love and be loved in return.

I do what the sea does—

I give all of myself, my heart, soul, mind, and being

Completely, freely, whenever we meet.

How so?

In this way--let the essence of my femininity

Flow through every nerve in your body.

Come with me

Give me your mind and one hour of your time

And I will give you a life time

You as my king and I as your queen by your side

In a realm of magic and dream

Hidden in the depths of the sea.

I accept.

She touches my skin and I feel the sea ringing within

And waves breaking on all the beaches of the world.

Her lips touch mine but for a moment

And I am freed of all human need

I see the lightning storm at sea

That gave birth to life one earth

I see as she sees—

That to love alone is given this key—

To see what has been and what shall be

Even as she speaks,

One day women will love

With all the power and the beauty the sea holds,

For they will discover that my touch, my sight, and my heart

Are hidden within their own.

I return to human form

Like a sailor returning from unknown lands

Bearing treasures of love

From realms of wonder and mystery

That have not yet entered mankind’s dreams.

She says to me,

It is both wonderful and terrible

The gift human beings possess—

To be so lonely and yet so proud

Because hidden within you is a will

That can recreate the world.

She kisses me on the lips, holds me close,

Then turns and departs into the depths of the ocean—

Like a wave colliding with the shore surges back and blends again

With the sea from which it arose,

Taking with her 10,000 treasures of love

No explorer has ever found.

St. Columba and the Undine

On Iona

An Isle of dream and mystical being

St. Columba met an undine one day

As she appears crystal clear and then fading away

On and on as the spray of each wave

Breaks upon her form.

St. Columba says to her,

I know of angels

For many visit me

Whenever I meditate

But of beings such as your self

I have no learning, no education, no knowledge

Tell me then, spirit of water and sea,

What is your essence

And the nature of your innermost being?

The undine replies as she gazes into his eyes,

The essence of my race

Is a love that flows without ever being lost

And gives all of itself in every moment.

St. Columba says,

I do not know

If undines have souls

But the words you speak

Are ever so sweet

If such love flowed through me

I would be beyond human need,

My loneliness and anguish would dissolve.

On my journey to seek God’s face

I see there is a place

For your words and beauty

To dissolve the dark within my heart.

And from that day

St. Columba saw that the sea

Contains a great mystery

And that nature itself

Is part of God’s teachings.

A Mermaid’s Secret Desire

A man met a mermaid one day

Within the sea where she does play

He says to her,

Share with me your secret desires

And your innermost dreams

For I am most keen

To explore the invisible and the unseen.

She replies,

If I assume the form of a woman

To become your lover

Renouncing all others

I would a human soul acquire.

In return, you shall see

The inner light shining in all things,

Hear the songs the stars sing

And feel the love

That called the universe into being.

But if our love is betrayed

I will cease and be no more than the foam on the waves.

And you will die like me

But the greater loss will be to humanity:

Were my soul a human being to embrace

There would be a dawning of a new age,

Peace would fill the earth

The broken heart would mend

And your race would retain

Youth and beauty into old age.

The man replies as he looks into her eyes,

I can not say if you speak truth or lies

But this I know:

I fear what I can not control;

Perhaps in another age

When men love beauty far more than me

These mysteries shall unfold.

Woe to humanity!

For these words were spoken

Ten thousand years ago.

And so we still await the day

When men are no longer afraid

To taste the beauty hidden in their lover’s eyes,

Hidden from the beginning

When the stars first began to shine.

Love is a pilgrim

(words from the undine Osipeh)

Love is a pilgrim

Journeying through a land of ancient shame

Unbearable pain

And yet never-ending wonder

Because it will never be satisfied

Until it is one with another.

Osipeh

All the waters of the earth vibrate with the songs I sing.

Can you hear this ancient wonder denied to humanity?

I sing of an absolute contentment

In which the inner self

Is at peace with the universe.

The Form of a Woman (Osipeh)

The form of a woman embodies a way of thinking that men can not imagine.

It is receptive, open, nurturing, offering and giving of itself.

Affection extends everywhere and into everything.

Unless you unite with the feminine spirit, all the gifts of the undines will only leave you feeling empty.

Inner Undine (for Sarah)

It was a beautiful day,

Other than that

I don’t know why I walked this way.

I lay down and fell asleep

Just as I heard a woman weep.

I dreamed she rose from the sea,

That she was part of me.

She left me a magic ring

That I might hear the songs the sea sings.

I awoke and found the ring

But if I put it on this day

Will my soul be carried away?

Or will I see what no one has ever seen—

The soul of the sea sharing with me her dreams.

Note: the following is a work in process. I will be able to write it better when I see it performed.

The poem describes an undine whose soul is the sea and who wakes up in the form of a woman on a beach half in and half out of the water. I can describe to a model a sequence of movements—I can see it in my mind--but it requires method acting to make it happen. (Do not try this on a cold day!)

The Sea Dreams She is a Woman

The sea dreams she is a woman,

Awakening,

Do you see what I see?

In her thighs the union of earth and sky,

Where dawn sets sail for new harbors

Where twilight finds rest from all desire

To you hear what I hear?

From the depths

The ocean’s own breath

The wave’s crest curling, breaking

Releasing in sighs and cries

Do you feel what I feel?

As air and water her breasts caress

The sounding sea anointing me

With her heart’s blood of love.

Young woman,

Ancient image of the feminine,

If I imagine I were you

That I could feel the things that you do—

The oceans my soul

Rivers my bloodstream

Rain my moist fluids

Lightning my heartbeat

Thunder my voice

In my hands the power to give life

But your movement, your form

As you turn, arising and descending

A sea of subtle curves

Every sense enchanting

The mind can only dream of such freedom

The heart strives to imagine such passion.

The Undine and the Mage

In a waking dream

I become an undine Queen

Summoned by a mage.

He says to me,

I need your sensual beauty

To perfect my magical art

For there is no greater power

In all the world

Than two joined in love.

I reply, I know what is on your mind

But what is your desire to me?

I am already in my self complete!

I have jewelry of profound design

And I possess the wealth

Of all the sunken ships in the sea,

And the sparks that drive the hearts

Of every fish

Dance on my fingertips,

The spray from a million waves

That roar as they break on the shore

Are my fragrance.

Your virility and magical will

For me have no appeal,

But I will make you a deal

If you can answer my question:

What purpose justifies this union?

The mage replies,

I know the sea gave birth to life

And in its ebb and flow and letting go

Is the absolute destruction of loneliness and isolation:

Through the love in water

We flow in and through and give birth to each other.

Were our two hearts to join as one

There would be a new creation--

The power to establish peace between the nations,

For in this love of ours there can be no separation.

I reply with dry humor,

Your intent is most fine, even divine

Your ideal might even become real

But you must understand how I feel—

Persuade me with words so sweet

That willingly in your arms

I would fall asleep,

Offer a gift

So I can make the shift--

To see through your eyes what you see

And dream through your heart what you dream.

The mage replies,

I give to you the sea of stars on fire

I give to you a heart that loves forever

And the power to make the world new—

All of these are my gifts to you.

And now I awake from my waking dream

And realize I am a human being

And not the undine queen

And so I wonder:

Will love ever be joined with power?

Will beauty and wisdom

Ever be held in the arms of each other?

St. Patrick and the Undine Queen

St. Patrick met a bard one day

And hearing him play

St. Patrick exclaimed:

"The notes of your harp

Are the same as heaven's own art

Except for one thing--

They are a little too much elvin."

And so St. Patrick took the bard's harp away

And put it in the corner of his room.

But late that night when St. Patrick fell asleep and dreamed

The cold wind from the sea swept into his room

And when the wind touched the harp's strings

Little elfin men came out of the harp

And filled up his room.

Then St. Patrick woke with a start

And cried aloud: "I know not the bard's art

How to send you back home

To the fairy realms from where you belong.

What am I to do with you?"

And they replied:

"Only a saint can see us.

To all others we are invisible.

Let us go free so we can play:

In your world by the light of day

The rainbow sparkles in delight

And by night the sounding sea

And the breeze in the tree

Sing as sweet as any bard's enchanting melody."

And St. Patrick, with so many elves cluttering up his room,

Said in reply:

"I would be willing to give it a try

If you will serve the church for me.

You see, we on earth are not idle or carefree

Instead, we do work for God's glory.

You there, yes you, with the pale hands and long fingers

What useful thing for the church will you do?"

And the little elf said:

"I can take a heart broke in two

And mend it again

So that it shines like the moon."

And St. Patrick said:

"And you there with the pointed red cap

How about you?"

"I can take a little boy and show him

How to fly a kite in the sky

With stands from a vine and leaves from a tree

Carefully entwined, for this is a toy I have designed.

And not only that, I can teach a child to tie his shoe

Or to find his way home again when he is lost in the wood;

All of this I will do for you."

And St. Patrick said:

"And you there standing behind my table with your eyes so shy?

Do you also make toys that fly?"

"No, but I can teach your scribes

To draw bright colored letters of red, gold, and blue

With dragons and unicorns dancing through

So that learning to read and write

Will be a pleasure and a delight."

"And you with your head leaning against my wall

What is your where with all?"

"I will show monks and men

To ferment hops and honey

So that beer and mead

Teach the tongue to let go of dark secrets--

Then the sadness in men's souls will be banished."

And St. Patrick, who could tell right from wrong,

Was also a practical man.

He knew as well as me or you

That some things you just have to do.

So he let the elves go

And the people in that land

Were more happy and holy.

But a month later when the moon was dark

The harp did spark

Its strings flared with fierce flames emerald and green

And in the room stepped an undine queen

Elegant, radiant, and gorgeous.

Her eyes were full of starlight

And her hair was blazing red.

And when St. Patrick saw this sight

He said:

"You are so lovely the sky and the sea

Can not compete with your beauty.

Your face and grace outshine the sun and the moon.

But I can not let you go free.

You would haunt my people in their dreams.

They would return to worshiping trees in groves

And to pray among standing stones."

The undine queen replied:

"St. Patrick, you know as well as I do,

You can not keep me here with you.

My beauty is too great

Even you would lose your faith

And no longer desire to see God's face.

Let me go free and I promise you

I will take from the shores of your land

All the snakes of Ireland.

You see, every creature of sea, wind, and land

Obeys my command.

The snakes will follow me home

To the Blessed Realms where I will go.

For only a saint as great as you is free to choose

To remain on earth to do God's will

And not fall into my enchantments.

But in another age men will find a way

To sing God's praise and capture Beauty in one song

And this they will do both to honor God's glory

And for the sake of Love."

Now St. Patrick was not only a practical man,

He was also wise and so he said:

"Go in peace my child.

Do this work for the sake of the church

And I will search my heart

To see if your prophecies are true or not.

And when St. Patrick awoke the next day

All the snakes from Ireland had gone away

But his heart informed him he had made a mistake

To let the maiden of Beauty depart.

Though he tried to call her back

St. Patrick knew not the bard's art.

And so the land of Erin still awaits the day

When men will come forth no longer ashamed or afraid

To join in one song God's praise

With the Blessed Realms's Beauty and Love.

                            Message

From the undines—to humanity:

The universe is on fire

With wonder, beauty, and ecstasy.

An Undine’s Prayer (Istiphul)

Wild winds wash over me

Caress the breasts of these waves

With ripples running free

Take me, ravish me

With your kiss of bliss

With your hips of thunder

Spread your fingers on my skin

As you dip your tongue

Into my troughs and crests

I throb, my body rolls over

Bound to your heartbeat

My tides rise higher

Your breath stirs my currents

As your lips fly, hover, and then dive

Into my waves and thighs

As your hunger invades my inner recesses.

Oh, for a mortal lover

With the passion of the wind

To feel his eyes burn

As they glide upon my naked skin

His desires sinking down into my depths.

Lord of the Winds--

Search the earth for a lover

Relentless to discover my ecstasy,

Sounding sea--anoint me with your heart’s blood

That I may know such love,

Running waves--rise and break

In sighs and cries until he comes.

Song of the Sea (Istiphul)

Waves splashing against the shore, folding back,

Flowing back and forth and splashing more.

A soft sounding surge of waves upon waves

as herds of soft caresses rise, collapse,

Enfolding each breath in release.

On and on it goes--

A cold cup of water thrown in your face are these sounds,

A gentle touch clasping your finger,

a yielding and a swaying,

A dancing and a playing,

a playing which is exquisite pain--

And the pain a pleasure reflected in the falling drops of rain

Thrown by curling waves.

The gasps and sighs,

each sigh a bird unleashed

and in flight gliding low over the waves.

Each falling wave

Like the ocean's own breath rising from its depths floating

And surging now on the crest which edges even closer

To spilling into bliss.

On and on it goes, flowing without end--

this is the ound of the ocean making love--

it is unmistakable, I hear it!

It is the sound of Istiphul when she is in love.

Istiphul

When I look at you through my eyes

You are wonderful to behold--

A man of power, masterful, and in charge.

But when I perceive you through human eyes

You are thin, wiry, balding, and shy.

No wonder women do not respect you.

Their minds deceive them and their senses do not lead them

To listen to the songs the seas have told--

Hot blood flowing in their lungs

Moist air set afire with the taste of passion,

Power dancing with desire.

But we elemental beings crave you as our lover

You go for the heart

You ask for all that I am

Your love nearly tears me apart

I can hold nothing back.

As you kiss me waves collide

In mid-ocean from separate storms

Exploding in white foam as we touch.

But for human women it is not at all like this.

The hand that glides upon the skin

Does not beckon them.

I think they cling to identity excessively--

The light of the moon does not illuminate their darkness

And so their souls can not speak freely.

They feel not the electricity of the lightning storm

You release in me

Nor do they hear the consonants and vowels

Of waters crying aloud

Making love on all the beaches of the world

In the rapids, the streams, and the river's falls.

They know not the releasing arising from the ocean floor

Nor the sinking and letting go into the undertow

Nor the returning, the arching back in the wave's crest breaking

Its feathery tip translucent in the sunlight and sparkling in starlight.

Where can an undine go to share with a human soul these things?

The dark depths of the ocean trench,

The slippery touch of the jellyfish and the nautilus,

The caress of arctic cold,

Or the warmth of curling up on a tropical beach

Of a woman walking out of the sea naked and free

Drops of water anointing her skin.

Sailors handsome, rugged, strong, and bold

Perceive with acute vision

The winds, the tides, the wave's size, the seasons

And the clouds at dawn.

Brave are their hands upon the helm--

With compass and starry charts they master the dark

But in their eyes the blue green sea does not dream--

They are afraid of what they can not control.

But you are not as these.

In your soul waves roll five thousand miles

And magnetism flows between the poles

And when I kiss your lips

It is I who drown in your bliss.

Goddess of the Earth, the Woman, and the Merman

Goddess:

Earth, air, fire and water are my children.

I am the storm and its lightning

The sea that drinks in the rain with salty lips

I am the fire beneath the earth,

The deserts, the forests, the mountains, the plains

By my command

Volcanoes explode,

Dust blinds the sky

Ice ages rise and fade

And by my song

Nine planets dance and sing

For four billion years I have watched over and tended this planet. I created life. No religion comprehends Who I Am, though it is I who grant permission before each appears.

(to young woman)

Will you shine with my light?

Be anointed with my beauty?

Speak with my voice?

Woman: Yes.

Goddess: Then two things I require—establish justice upon the earth and do as I do: make the world new.

Woman: How do I do this?

Goddess: Establish a religion without priests, temples, or rituals in which love, power, wisdom, and justice are equally honored and pursued.

Woman: (I am about to ask Her how, but now a merman touches my hand, probing my heart and penetrating my thoughts.)

Merman: It is my skill to reveal the keys to the mysteries of the lakes, the rivers, the streams, and the seas.

There is a peace as vast as the sky, as deep as the sea, as still and clear as a mirror, and flowing like water—it flows like a stream from the dawn of time to the ends of eternity.

Woman: Can you help me find this peace within myself?

Merman: Yes, of course.

Take this cup into your hands. Now relax, be still.

Feel my hands on your own as we hold the cup. Take a deep breath. Exhale.

Now feel you are this cup and this water. Nothing else is in your mind. You are free of all distractions. Take your time. Feel this cool water inside of you.

The water—this water is now you.

The water vibrates with all the water upon our planet. This water is calm, serene, still, relaxed, and at peace. The very depths of the sea are within you.

The flowing streams, the rivers, the icy poles, the waves of all the seas, they are all flowing through and within and are a part of you.

The circle of the earth, the vast expanse of ocean from horizon to and over horizon around the globe: you are this vast body of water and this water is within your soul.

See how the water like a mirror reflects clearly all that is near. Sense that this reflective power of water is your own. The light it reflects sinks into your depths. The pure essence of the sun, the moon, and the stars is captured in the taste of this substance you hold.

Open your heart. Feel moonlight flowing down upon you, anointing you. Open yourself.

Feel the light of dawn and sunset, the birth of light on earth, its spectrum of wonder and color, this light is flowing through you—soft, shining, luminous, cool, soothing, full of dreams and visions.

It guides us in our sleep and it joins us to all that we can ever want.

Gaze again upon this cup. Water is so open and reflective, so deep and at peace, it contains all the feelings of every heart within itself. It holds the mystery of our opposite--the universe moves around the mysteries of the heart.

Past, present, future—they are all contained and revealed in this moment of pure stillness. Feel that this water is the purity of your love and that your love embraces the whole world.

In this cup are my love and your love also. In this cup, the separations of space and time are overcome. Here is the feeling of what it is like to finally come home.

Within this cup and this water is a love that flows without beginning or end. The universe has been created with its stars and galaxies to give us a taste of the delight that is hidden within such life.

Within the depths of water, its liquid embrace, is the fulfillment of every desire—the stars and the sky above us, the depths of the sea, and the stillness in this moment is within your own heart—

Take this cup now and drink from it--drink into yourself the love that embraces the universe and that makes us all one with each other without separation ….taste the water in your mouth; go with it as it sinks down; stay with it as it is absorbed into every cell in your body.

The waters of life flow through you. The beauty of the universe is within and a part of you.

And now do you have what you asked me for? A peace as deep as the sea, as vast as the sky, as still and clear as a mirror, and flowing like water?

Woman: (I stare into his eyes for several minutes without speaking.)

Can you sit with me for a while? I want to be able to share this beauty with another without speaking.

Merman: Of course.