She Almost Made It

Under the oceans the downward pulse
of decay and wars from surface earth
reached the wise women of Atlantis
and they could bear no more.

The Mother called the coven-sisters
and stroked the green tendrils of each bent head.
'One of you must go,' she said, 'before we all end.'
The Chosen One must take wisdom
to the benighted hearts of human women
who resigned she-strong-power to wanton men.

Anemone prostrated herself before the Beloved
and she offered to be the messenger,
knowing she could never go back home.
Her last lover had died in the ice of Winter Waters
and now she wished to make her grief-sacrifice.

Mother prepared her and passed on all she knew
in seven days and seven nights of water wake.
On the eighth day Anemone swam from the deep,
transformed into a land-woman of strangeness
and bold, becalmed beauty, but
as she regained her breath
she saw a mushroom cloud
and blinded she knew
she was too late.