[Objects of Mythical Power], V

There's a curable kind of
blindness
when one gets old
Magni helps you
get real close
teeny tiny letters
could read them all

There's another kind of
vision
one's not born with
Bino helps you
see far ashore
Jesus' portrait on tesserae
on Hagia Sophia's wall

There's a distant kind of
friendship
one may have lost
objects always remind you
when brain roams off
Mickey and Minnie
or, Magni and Bino
come when call

Photo: Holly Lee. A gift from Hideo Suzuki

[Objects of Mythical Power], IV

The Wolf from Nagai

He combs my hair
He stands to greet
He howls and guards
at full moon's bliss

I hear him
I see him
in slow motion
turning suspiciously
to ward off evil spirits

And if that isn't enough
he'll climb into my dream
his pack of four
no earth to land
he'll keep his balance
on one big branch

The wolf from Nagai
cries, some nights
he has four heads
eight eyes
Cerberus the dog has three
Bast the cat goddess
lives nine lives, at least

Photo: Holly Lee. Detail of a scarf, a work by Kazumasa Nagai

[Objects of Mythical Power], III

Hello
Hello
are you there
fallen twig
from a hibiscus plant

No earth to grasp
flow freely as grass
you are morphing
into bone dried stem
waving like a peacock fan

Do you remember
your previous body
has healing power
your big red flowers
make good tea for afternoon hours

Photo: Holly Lee

[Objects of Mythical Power], II

Wielding round shield and sword
this indigo warrior
clinging to his triangular helmet
advancing like a Dalek

No less mythical
when Herschel discovered cyanotype
who could have imagined
the dead, could leave a living image

Photo: Holly Lee (Cyanotype by John Fiorucci)

[Objects of Mythical Power], I

I am as vocal as my cat
we sing a duet

when I threw him a ball
he outplayed me

Photo: Holly Lee (Painting by Tony Taylor)