Night Falls by Gail Spiritstar Roberts

Night falls and I begin again 

My lonely and involuntary vigil.

No softly snoring sleep will come

To unknot my belly or to calm

My restless spirit, flickering

Like a moth in a jar.

 

My flesh is hanging heavy

But I drag myself outside.

Breathing deeply in the dark,

Feeding on the dank, damp air.

The starlight, slight but pure,

Hints at the vast space above.

 

The earth resolutely pulls me down,

Promising that final peace

Of standing stone,

Of chambered cairn,

Of the silence before the dawn 

When the chill seeps, bone deep.

 

I am as still in my solitude 

As the heron on one leg, 

Endlessly watching at the weir.

Even he now sleeps, with head  

Folded under wing, until he sails 

The morning mists once more.

 

The edges of my self begin to blur,

Becoming one with the night,

Pulsing with the heartbeat of the earth.

Then you are there with me,

Folding me into your cloak, 

Wrapping me into your mystery.

 

Memories of ancestral fires flicker,

Warming my blood. 

Figures dancing, smoke curling, 

Kindling hope in my heart which

Rises with the small sparks 

High into the frozen air.

 

We stand, shoulder to shoulder,

Facing the faint light of dawn.

I hear the small sounds of life

Stirring all around and know

That I too will turn my face towards

The sun and welcome in the day.

 

Written by Gail Spiritstar Roberts, Priestess of Cerridwen

Gwynedd, Wales

Gail Spiritstar is a Priestess of Cerridwen and an Awenydd of the Anglesey Druid Order. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Gail has always known in her bones the essential, deep connection with nature and a love of wild places. She has been consciously following a path of nature-based spirituality for 35 years. Gail moved to Wales in 1995 to train with the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. She is an experienced actor, singer and storyteller. Gail now lives in Southern Snowdonia, not far from Llyn Tegid, Bala. As a Priestess she enjoys serving by co-creating ceremonies, building community and…anything else Cerridwen may require!