Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Holy well
waters of the Dordogne
rivers of the ancient caves
where the spirit herds were dreamed into plenty
water of the totems
and the naked mother of flesh
Heal us with the memory
of fifty thousand years
we lived as animal with animal
conscious but still dancing
awake but still in dream-time
Brigid - we carry memory under the skin of our hands
and in the bones' matrix
deep in us
deeper than all the years of spoiling
no less deep
in each designer of neutron bombs or instruments of torture
they too are human animal
they crave survival
Brigid - that memory is your well
may it rise!
rise like the green blood of trees
in your season
may we remember our green blood
and all that blocks its rising
wash away!
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Sacred flame
flame of the forge
we have been tempered
by red-hot rage and love
pounded
shaped by blows and noise and pain
heavy and powerless
as metal on anvil
Brigid - bring us out of the forge
bright
cool us with your waters
give us strength and length
the form of a leaf
and a cutting edge
Brigid - we are willing to be your edge
to be nicked and bashed
and bloodied
but give us strength
not to break
and to notice when we lose our keenness
strong tools also need to rest
to be rubbed cleaned sharpened
Care for us, Brigid
polish us
with soft cloth
and your skilled, tender hands
Holy well and sacred flame! [call and response]
Holy well
waters of Avalon
drawn from the lion's mouth
of Chalice Well in Glastonbury
waters of the island
that is here and there and between
Teach well
of the knowledge the churches
and the authorities outlawed
knowledge of sun and moon, star and stone
the life that is in them
the voice
the language
the alignments between them
the mysteries
where these things can take us
off the charts, outside the forms, beyond surveillance
out of control
well of mists, fog, concealment
well between the worlds we move between
Brigid - let us look into your long well of vision
change takes time
prepare us
let us see and know that it will come
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Sacred flame
Fire of inspiration
help us see each other with the poet's eye
sharp to celebrate textures and colors
to praise our differences
Brigid - let us savor your thousand names
let us call you Oya, Pele, the Mother of Volcanoes,
Changing Woman, Amaterasu
and so many more
let us learn all the old tales
sing the songs dance
let us tell new stories
with no false enemies in them
and no lies that pass for history
stories about the four quarters of the world
red yellow black white
about their different paths and challenges
and how they finally learned to come together
stories about love in all its disguises
passion, friendship, trickery, and common struggle,
laughter, heartbreak, and acts of courage
tales of a good crop, a living child, a clean river
tales of victory
Brigid - the fire on our tongues
burns through lies
we will speak truth to power
and to each other
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Holy well
water of the ocean
that licks the mouth of Diablo Canyon
clear running stream ancient oaks
hills of ritual where we made our secret way
again and again
slipping past guards helicopters dogs horsemen
to stand above the plant and say stop
Brigid - fire is a mixed blessing
it can warm or kill
we saw you on the hill a year ago
cradling your well of fire
we swore fire would never burn
in the reactor
we were wrong
But Brigid - out of that lost movement we forged a movement
clusters of crazy, peaceful warriors
weaponless but willing to go on
again and again
to Livermore, Vandenberg, to downtown San Francisco
to Concord, Alameda, Bohemian Grove
Nevada, Cape Canaveral
Bridig - we have made their jails our cauldron
where we who are warriors
who would rather be healers
prepare our brew
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Sacred flame
fire of the hearth
community
a place we can make safe
where we are welcome
where when they come to take
any one of us
we circle resist protect
until there is no longer need for protection
where we burn strong together
like the flames of these candles
we place together
a home for us all
a shelter
a common granary
a storehouse of each season's seed and fruit
open to the hungry
a fire to cheer the cold, the old
Brigid - this vision is possible and simple
you forget the plow as well as the sword
and we would rather sow seeds
heal wounds weed the garden
be the keen edge of nurturing
instead of struggle
Brigid - we've had failures
but tonight
we claim this victory
that we are here together in circle
learning to work together
learning to build to last
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Holy well
waters of Corinto
ocean water
taken as the sun rose
on the winter solstice
after a night of fiesta
in the port town of Nicaragua
where the Virgin a black-eyed statue
extends her hands to the tin shacks and the dirt streets
and the people
who keep her inghtlong vigil
water from the harbor
mined by U.S. ships
in this land
the Virgin's breasts
hold wells of smoldering fire
volcanoes
watch the harbor
saw the Contras ignite the oil storage tanks
watch the children who have no toys
and the prostitutes on their rounds
there are no jobs but they say
the ships never fail us
even the earth here is volatile
it shook down Somoza
and the people love fire
Solstice midnight a man puts on the wooden
frame of a bull that shoots
fireworks
sparklers Roman candles fountains of light
spout and gush
the people shriek and laugh
as he chases them
exuberant in the war zone
Brigid - the ocean of Corinto
is alive with fire
sparks of phosphorescence make stars
as we plunge
We need that fire in our water
we will never make our revolution
with guns in the hills
of Twin Peaks of Tamalpais
but we need to know that change
is possible
and can be defended
and can be lush wild intoxicating
a festival where we dance all night
Brigid - give us fireworks
and stars in teh well
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]
Holy well and sacred flame
the cauldron
well of fire
fire of hope
the cookpot
the broth that sustains us
the brew that heals us
Brigid - you are a poet and healer
as well as smith
we chant to be healers of wounds in the world
your cauldron
in our nerves our genes
it is survival it is life
We will not ber walking dead
We are alive as the earth is alive
The running juices of our bodies
are wells we drink from them
our tongues on fire
to waken
the call to life in every body
for under all we are animal
as the earth is animal
May the animal rise in everyone!
May the voice of the earth roar through us
May we sing for stones and stars
and dance as the flames leap and dance
May we rise!
May every well be a fountain
and break free
a shower of sparks
an all-night fiesta
We have the power to fight for our freedom
to erupt volcanic
psouting new lands
forging new tools
singing new songs
We will not be walking dead
We are earth
life is stronger
we are survivors
animals
we are alive
and life
rises!
Holy well and sacred flame! [Call and response]