Presenting the poetry, books, and photographs of Nancy Wood, 1936-2013
From Wild Love, 1996 (unpublished), by Nancy Wood
Without love the world would not last, nor would flowers bloom nor
the sun have a reason to burst between the thighs of night.
The fire of life burns on battlefields
and in the misery of souls struggling for food. It smolders
even when darkness devours consideration and hatred ravages
the innocence of children.
Love means yes and love means why not
and love means the fire of life,
burning brightly long after the universe ends.
From Many Winters, 1974, by Nancy Wood
A long time I have lived with you
And now we must be going
Separately to be together.
Perhaps I shall be the wind
To blur your smooth waters
So that you do not see your face too much.
Perhaps I shall be the star
To guide your uncertain wings
So that you have direction in the night.
Perhaps I shall be the fire
To separate your thoughts
So that you do not give up.
Perhaps I shall be the rain
To open up the earth
So that your seed may fall.
Perhaps I shall be the snow
To let your blossoms sleep
So that you may bloom in spring.
Perhaps I shall be the stream
To play a song on the rock
So that you are not alone.
Perhaps I shall be a new mountain
So that you always have a home.
From Shaman’s Circle, 1996, by Nancy Wood
Whatever you become, my child, may it be rooted in grace.
Whatever your path through life,
may it offer you steepness and rough places, so that you do not become
complacent. Nothing is owed to you, but everything is available to you,
Even the decision to do nothing and to travel nowhere.
It’s up to you to decide
whether to follow the wisdom of our ancestors, or to pursue
the cheap solutions of the world. Your courage will arise
If you call it by name, just as love will find its way into your heart, in time.
My child, I cannot shoulder your mistakes
in order to keep you free from pain,
but I can open your eyes to beauty, if you will only take the time.
From Shaman’s Circle, 1996, by Nancy Wood
Our connection to nature is nothing more
than a deep conversation,
like that between two related stones or trees,
an expanding bond of kinship
that sharpens perceptions and catches
sunlight devouring ice on streams,
a refrain of winter’s resistance
To the unconditional surrender of spring.
Who knows the meaning behind a conversation
between two partners of the soul,
so perfectly joined that they seem as natural
as veins on leaves? Our connection
to nature is a magical cord that offers solace,
granting us witness to the birth of stars.
From Dancing Moons, 1995, by Nancy Wood
The woman-heart spirit was released by the Creator
a long time ago in order to nurture children,
animals and plants, trees and rocks, and also
men, who resisted the softening of their wild nature.
The woman-heart spirit roamed the deserts and the mountains
looking for ways to create awareness,
the food the earth needed for survival,
and the recognition of beauty in the land.
The woman-heart spirit was wild, untamed
like the river and the wind
who taught her knowledge of a certain kind,
different from the knowledge of men or children.
The woman-heart spirit became the guardian
of language and music and the stories
needed by birds and animals and people, as
the world changed and imagination dried up.
The woman-heart spirit became the keeper of compassion,
strong yet invisible, the connection between
all living things. The woman-heart spirit
is nothing more than love, overlooked when the world began.