Collage by Margaret Bednar (click image to enlarge)
Dia de los Muertos
(Day of the Dead)
Marigold flowers and crucifixes,
Catholic Saints and skulls,
La Catrina and Madonna side by side.
A photograph, youthful,
BBQ salmon, hasselback potatoes,
garlic, butter, crispy and tender;
comforts all, vaguely familiar.
A hand I don't recognize
reaches toward my soul,
yearns for Monarch's fluttering touch;
reminiscent
of a faintly remembered heartbeat.
Yet soars away...
I feel welcomed and lost,
eternity and mortality
intertwined.
by Margaret Bednar, October 7, 2023
This is linked with "Poets and Storytellers United - Friday Writings #97 - October".
Spanish explorers conquered the Aztecs and in doing so, cultures collided. Celebrating ancestors and the Catholic All Soul's Day created this amazing cultural "holiday", Day of the Dead - a "family reunion" of sorts (November 1 & 2) where dead ancestors are the guests of honor. So, this isn't technically October, but I feel the altar and such are probably set up and food is being planned for it. The Monarch butterfly is believed to carry the soul of the deceased.
12 comments:
Interesting occasion (which we don't have in Australia) and lovely, reflective poem.
Offerings to dead ancestors are part of the tradition here too albeit in different ways... I especially like the monarch butterfly reference, didn't know it had this connection.
A lovely poem I heard about Day of the Dead and thought it was a Mexican day. I didn't know there was a mixture with the catholic All Souls Day Interesting.
Also interesting is the believe that butterflies carry the soul of the deceased. Actually, the Greek name for butterfly is Psyche which means soul.
Such rich words and imagery. I love the hand you don't recognize reaching for your soul and feeling both welcomed and lost.
The symbols of this holiday have so much rich and beautiful symbolism. It's observed a little differently in Peru, but I do like picking up some marigolds for my garden as part of my October observances.
Love the vivid descriptions. The last two lines are a perfect description of El Día de Muertos. And it's a perfect October poem, too. Where I grew up, the celebration would start in October and end in November. In a similar way as the Christmas "holiday" sort of starts on Christmas Eve.
You set the scene and draw us in and then the ending is just lovely:
"I feel welcomed and lost,
eternity and mortality
intertwined."
Beautiful poem, Margaret ~~~ the last three lines are "sigh lines."
Great blog
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This is such a wonderful, visual poem.
In our culture we have something like that, though not that elaborate. It's called qing ming, sometime in April, when the living visits the graves and tombs of our ancestors, to clean the sites and give offerings of food and joss papers.
btw, I love the collage you made, it's beautiful. And also, I don't understand why your comment landed in my spam folder. I thought the problem went away some time ago, but it seems to be back.
I feel welcomed and lost,
eternity and mortality
intertwined.
Perfect close Marge! it captures the mixed feelings associated with the change to the cold months! Love your take!
Hank
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