A Poem by Margaret Riordan

I’m pleased to introduce a poem by my friend Margaret Riordan, Celtic Bard.

Dignity

When your heart is broken in the palace, grab your knapsack and pack lightly.
A blanket, a few pairs of loose trousers, a couple of long tunics,
Something for your head to protect it from the heat
Then join the next caravan leaving town.

Cross the desert in the night with strangers,
See the blanket of diamond stars against the velvet deep
Let them light your tears that fall without shame.
Hold nothing back.

There in the desert, no one can see. You’re alone with strangers
Listening only to the sound of camels’ feet plodding in sand,
The jostling of their packs and murmur of voices passing time.
Let your legs grow strong with traveling

So when you come to the city you will be ready for the physician who knows the secrets
Of herbs and human heart. Sit with him on the dusty street corner and absorb his knowledge,
More precious than any lost love you mourn.
Let him teach you how to heal your own dignity.

Stay gone until you find in that wisdom some places
Belonging only to you and God. Let your soul grow strong from listening
And your freedom grow until your own inviolability is sure enough to
Withstand any windstorm, any drought, any onslaught of pain.

Remember that your solitude is more precious than any palace intrigue.
Find the Truth that is greater than this drama that threatens to destroy you. Become your own person, unshaken by the shifting dunes of fate.
Pack lightly, because on this journey all you need is your courage and your heart.