This poem, by my Radical Fairy Ancestor, Assunta Femia (Sister Species of Crow) inspires me

oh, dear elias, we meet again

down through- it seems

the twentyfirst century

down through a host of time

this contradiction

thkis elusive and ever present

this holy and daemonic

this dreadful

this sublime

this holy woman

this woman named

holy poverty.


clare said it first -

let the walls of the cloister be

holy poverty herself.


o dear elias,

down through these years

to see your face again, smiling back

at me.  smiling even.

we are not what we own

we are not what we do

we are who

            and what

            and how

we are.


and holy poverty sings her sweet melody

holy poverty of the roses

holy poverty of the bread


this holy contradiction,

this elusive solution.

don't you see, my dear,

this is class warfare on a special scale

this is the holiest.

this is the sacramentum of poverty.

it is no longer even the nun who is speaking.

this is the partaking

the opening of the side.

put your finger in here,

do you now feel this?

is it happening, elias?

do you feel it?


this is what it feels like

this class warfare.
**********************************************************
29 november 1988

sister species of crow