#18 | James Mattingley | The Return by Geneen Marie Haugen

James Mattingley returns to the show with another powerful poem:The Return by Geneen Marie HaugenSome day, if you are lucky,you’ll return from a thunderous journeytrailing snake scales, wing fragmentsand the musk of Earth and moon.Eyes will examine you for signsof damage, or changeand you, too, will wonderif your skin shows tracesof fur, or leaves,if thrushes have built a nestof your hair, if Andromedaburns from your eyes.Do not be surprised by prickly questionsfrom those who barely inhabittheir own fleeting lives, who barely tastetheir own possibility, who barely dream.If your hands are empty, treasureless,if your toes have not grown claws,if your obedient voice has notbecome a wild cry, a howl,you will reassure them. We warned you,they might declare, there is nothing else,no point, no meaning, no mystery at all,just this frantic waiting to die.And yet, they tremble, mute,afraid you’ve returned without sweetelixir for unspeakable thirst, withouta fluent dance or holy languageto teach them, without a compassbearing to a forgotten border whereno one crosses without weepingfor the terrible beauty of galaxiesand granite and bone. They tremble,hoping your lips hold a secret,that the song your body now singswill redeem them, yet they fearyour secret is dangerous, shattering,and once it flies from your astonishedmouth, they-like you-must disintegratebefore unfolding tremulous wings.-------------------------------------------------Click to become a PatronWhat's that mesmerising soundtrack?  That's Marlia Coeur: Spotify | YouTube.Join the Newsletter!Podcast Musician: Marlia CoeurPlease consider becoming a Patron to support the show!Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.