Cast Your Gaze Upon Me

^{_{Nkisi Power Figure, by the Kongo Peoples (Angola or Democratic Republic of the Congo) 19th century}}

Call me earth mother, godmother
holy totem for pregnant things,
lost waifs and sad clowns.

I can see into your soul
even when you turn away,
you cannot hide a thing from me.

I peel away your skin of masks
feel your pulsing wishes.  Call me
goddess of broken charms

charms you wanted broken.
Bring me offering of tree and leaf
of heartfelt grief, your ache 

on a plate of all-knowing fate.
Kiss my feet, wish again 
with heart, fullness untamed.

It’s okay to be a fool sometimes.
Even the clown craves lightness
to unlearn his sorry ways.

Even the fool would dance 
to the same beat if he wasn’t so alien 
from the only-dreamers.

Worship at my altar, tell me your secrets
and I’ll come to you in a dream 
and wipe away your tears.

I’ll take you where you need to go.
See?  You called and I came.
But first, a fair exchange.  Bring me 

bright coins, a sprig of juniper, tiny bird eggs 
and a fat fish eye, and I’ll bestow upon you 
your heart’s desire, should the gods

deem you worthy.  Kiss again my feet 
and be gone now, moon child.
In morning’s fire, it shall be done.

^{_{© N Nazir 2024}}

*My poem didn’t make it into the Ekphrastic Review for this challenge so I thought I’d post it here instead. The image for the next ekphrastic challenge is up, deadline 21st June.