VI. SURRENDER SLEEP
Goodbye to this shore
Though you’ve kissed my feet
And warmed my body
And held my palace strong on the shore
Goodbye to this shore
Hello to these waters
Like onyx wrinkling in the night
I see lyrics etched in moonlight on the crests
Of waves, mid-motion
That break open together
Bringing voice to the moonlight
As the sea shouts into song
Goodbye to this shore
Though you’ve kissed my feet
And warmed my body
And held my palace strong on the shore
Goodbye to this shore
Hello to my body, the world slips away from my head
Hello to my body, my skin is jeweled with star and sea
Hello to my body, it opens like a lily blossoms in the night
Hello to my body, it’s closer, it’s wilder, it’s more real than ever before
To whom do I owe this awakening?
And what am I to do with these powers within me?
Am I leaving, am I taking, am I wanting too much, too soon?
And what if these waters overtake me?
And what if my body overpowers me?
What if I never reach the other shore?
How should this journey begin?
Surrender, sleep
Surrender to your powers
Let the ocean take you to the other shore
Let the world slip away
Surrender, sleep
VII. SEA GHOSTS
Sea ghosts come to me
Glowing bright, so bright, a cacophony of red
They surround me, surround me, with their arms: thin, bright stamens
Sea ghosts come to me
The ghosts caress me, caress me, with their red stamen arms
My skin glows too, becomes red too, my pores open wide
Then the sea ghosts summon, summon my shadows out of my body
Sea ghosts come to me
The sea ghosts summon my shadows out from my body
My shadows flood out in a storm of grey singing my unsung songs
My shadows spiral around me before dropping into the sea
“Dui-dui-dui, dui-dui-dui,” is that the sound of a dolphin singing?
Or is it the sound of my shadows crying, crying in the ocean wide?
“Heed, heed, heed,” the ghosts say to me
“You must let your shadows free
Lest you wander forever on this boundless sea.”
I. HUNGER
This world chose a hunger for me
A hunger to be wanted and beheld in the eyes of all
This world chose a hunger for me
A hunger to make myself beautiful
A beauty that's quiet, gentle, and tame
A meaningless beauty I never chose
I prayed to the hunger to leave me
I prayed so many times that my prayers
became inscribed on my tongue
I prayed to the hunger to leave me
But it just roared from within me
That without beauty I would be nothing
So I stopped my empty praying
I surrendered to the hunger
The world made me an empress of nothing but beauty
They donned my body in silk and gold
They built a palace standing mighty on the shore
They filled my palace with lovers who live just to want me
But when I look into my lovers' eyes
I'm not looking for them, I'm just looking for the spider lily
For I have seen the flower glow in the night
I have seen the crimson blossom sprouting from the ocean floor
I have heard its siren song calling me
I choose this hunger for me
A hunger the world forbid from me
I choose this hunger for a new type of beauty
A hunger for the sensual world
A hunger for my body untamed
A hunger for the flower
I choose this hunger for me
IV. SIREN SONG II (sung by the flower)
I sang to you in dream a thousand times
Until my voice became hoarse
Finally you listen to me
I bless your boat of cypress
Now is time to start this journey
Cross these ancient waters
And prepare to be free
After your voyage of seven days
You will hear the island breathing, “hu, hu”
And then the birds, "cucu, cucu”
The birds will crown you and guide your boat
To a glass river at the mouth of the island
flowing with spirits singing lullabies
and glowing with trees in colors you’ve never seen
And where the river ends, you’ll find me
In the center of the magenta lake
I’ve bloomed here for millennia
Rooted beneath the ocean and budding towards the heavens
I am the life force through which the island breathes
I am the spider lily, crimson red, crimson red
In the center of the magenta lake, in the center of the magenta lake
Your transformation shall begin