The Thirteenth Sign
First the birds dropped from the sky—all at once,
their dive final and unexpected, unexplained.
Then fish turned belly up, their lives turned off en masse.
Amid the scurry we waited for answers.
Scientists said earth changed the tilt of its axis;
not to worry, it does so every 41,000 years.
Subsequently, there will be a few changes.
If you were a Libra before, now you're a Virgo.
If you were a Sagittarius, now there's a new sign—
Ophiuchus, (Ὀφιοῦχος) from the Greek,
The 13th sign: The Serpent Bearer.
Another minor detail, the change in tilt
was the switch to start the next catastrophe.
Be it ice age or nuclear holocaust, the timeframe
is unclear, but it is eventual, inevitable.
I open my copy of A Swiftly Tilting Planet and reread
St. Patrick's Rune. I'm twelve again and hopeful.
I grasp it firmly to my chest, a breastplate
bearing magical power to thwart all danger.
Now, we wait for the sun to right the wrongs,
To quell the stirrings of a planet moved.
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Author's Note
In 1963 I was 12 and escaped every horrible event by reading. There are moments I feel a similar brokenness like I felt when Kennedy was assassinated. The events of 9-11, the destruction of our world, either by our own hands or the hand of weather gone amok, are unsettling triggers for me. They remind me of my first encounter with the abyss in 1963, in which case, no book is ever strong enough.
The Thirteenth Sign originally appeared in Schrodinger’s Mouse, Vol. 2. Art credit: Teresa Tunaley
Other stories by Brenda Bishop Blakey
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Goodness. I like this piece -
"I grasp it firmly to my chest, a breastplate
bearing magical power to thwart all danger.
Now, we wait for the sun to right the wrongs,
To quell the stirrings of a planet moved."
*
I like this story. Those scientists, they always have an explanation!
*
"Whatever you were before, well, now, you're this..." Awesome! Reminds me of:
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/You+Think+It+s+Like+This+But+Really+It+s+Like+This/418238
Magick.
And so we write, to keep that magic flowing. *
Very strong writing. *
Sam, thank you. Glad you like it.
Crabby, cool music, thanks.
James, there's nothing like magick. So sweet to hear.
J.A.,I needed to hear that encouragement. Thank you.
That is a nice comment, Jake. I appreciate the compliment.
"Another minor detail, the change in tilt
was the switch to start the next catastrophe." Really enjoyed this.*
Gary, thanks.
Other-worldly. Love it. *
Thank you Charlotte.
We cannot see the cosmos for the trees.
Enjoyed this.
Good point Gary. We may hug those trees but they are always star-blocking in their limited wisdom.
May the sun be our true savior.
Thanks Brenda.
Tim, thank you for reading.
Frightening, ominous and haunting. Strong piece Brenda. May we live in interesting times.*
Thanks Michael, I am amazed each and every day.
This punched me in the heart. Glad I came across it. *
FM Le, thank you for reading.