Caduceus

Your day is all surf and sunshine
Salt spray and soft sand
You walk on and feel yourself tan
But then
 Clouds move in
And lean into the warm air
A darkening moment
And there is Hermes
Whispering in your ear
An invitation through
Your deepest artery to the pain
You cannot honor with a name
 In daylight.
You paid for the pain.
Now you pay for the ride.
You cross into your darkness
The dog barks and nips and tears
But you move on, no Virgil to guide you
No Beatrice to warm your heart
Until you are at the center
Of your heart
And there is Hermes
Playing on his turtle shell lyre
An ancient theme for your naked, bleeding truth
And you bless it with a name
And then Hermes tells you
You cannot stay
So swim out of this darkness
And in your innocent nakedness you do
And there is Zeus straight ahead
With thunderbolts bearing the name
You gave suffering
When you found the courage to face it alone.
He gives your sorrow to Earth
In life-giving energy that pulses with joy.
And there it is:
A vibrant world
That is calling you again
To walk like a king
In the sunshine.