Maxfield Parrish       Sappho of the Roses   Brave Sappho of the rose-petalled cheeks, you wrote of love and light, rainbow passion in a dark world. The rattle of war, anger of men, are pressed in history books where we sigh to see their legacy.   But you!   Your words live off the page spill through arbours of the mind bloom in all spring hearts with the sweet-forever scent of the rose you worshipped. Poetry that endured through centuries though every sought-out scrap was ruthlessly burned-- a woman who loved women and wrote like a harp of heaven threatened the order of men. And now your rescued verses bloom again in a questing time, as the centuries cycle. The power and beauty eternal, fragrant as the blown rose,vibrant as the fearless poetess.       ©2008 Katherine L. Gordon       Far From Bodies If You Dare       For me a ring of spirit fire far from guardian demons ploy of basic bodies forged to distract and bar from opening the door to soul -- the parallel universe where garments are star-white hair braided, sandals cradling dancing feet in glades where all the aspects of infinite love ignite as a torch rapture us into our true place in the wheeling heavens make the physical here a pale puppet substitute distracting us from the star-dust miracle we are, all bodies loved and beautiful separate in the gift of charity able to see in one's selfhood the beauty of all-- what the shadow forgives will grow into the next evolution of pure goodness.       © 2008 Katherine L. Gordon         A Fleeting Fire     A gryphon came in the moon of night wherever he trod light sprouted I awoke to see the puddles of melt heard shouts of birds finding their spring voices, lips pursed with winter parted and sang, for this elixir of life, green sap, opened every vein tidal-waved over the dark wells of truth. Live-forever drummed the dance as we circled in the promised land of light, dread winter-death dormant 'til the fleeting of false fire.       © 2008 Katherine L. Gordon       Last Reprise     In Time's archives our book of tongues telling the gift of oneness in hologram days, odyssey of discovery of all icons born exchange of dreams kindred to mark our place as binary stars milk of galaxies star-shards hinting many incarnations bonding centuries.     ©2008 Katherine L. Gordon       A secret of Equinox     An elixir distilled from burning rite of passage, each flight-flamed leaf transformed from matter to spirit-fire at equinox. Secrets stone-sealed if you can read the code. Try catching sparks of immortality, the keys to slip away to spheres beyond, where ash and flame endure alive together. Phantom riders, cloaks like autumn flags, escort Summer's bride to lands where  earth-light dies, till promised solstice brings return of life to all the travelers questing on this plane.     ©2007 Katherine L. Gordon