"Still there are seeds to be gathered, and room in the bag of stars.“ Ursula K LeGuin
Dance by the Light of the Moon: Poems for Witches
This 30 page chapbook gathers more than twenty poems shaped by the natural world, myth and story, magic and ritual accompanied by the unique and evocative art of the late amara hollowbones.
Each poem opens a space a world where magic and nature exist in poetic harmony inviting reflection on time, both present and remembered.
published by Wordsmith Writing and Editing, 2023
$15 CAD plus shipping
“Magical, meditative, and inspired, “Dance by the Light of the Moon” is a vivid sensory experience. Perazzo skillfully guides us from the broad-winged raven’s view of the earth below, the crackling sound of ancient fires, to the scent of soft-gray lavender unveiled in the summer sun. We travel from the tangible to the ethereal and back again. Kelly Butler, educator and founder of Community Deathcare Ottawa.
“Your writing helps us see and feel the vastness of life as well as dive deep within to visit the source and wellspring of our being and the world. The natural world is alive, vibrant and breathing through your words. Thank you!” Nancy Maddams, Ottawa Ontario
We followed the flight of the raven in springtime and caught a drifting feather as it fell from the sky We learned to read subtle shifts in the currents of air.
We wove our hair with leaves and lichen and built summer bonfires with fallen tree branches — The flickering flames revealed portents of radical change.
We danced at the river’s edge in the autumn rain and watched the waters rising — The music of its wild currents sang to us of pending transformation.
We lay on our bellies on the cold winter earth and sunk our hands in the icy black soil — The decomposing nutrients whispered messages of metamorphoses to come.
Then one day, our blood began to recall that mountains
were built from stones dropped from the creel* of the Cailleach.
We could hear her voice rising in the restless earth below.
Diane Perazzo is a writer, editor, poet, tarot reader, eco witch (Reclaiming), mother and grandmother. She lives in Ottawa Canada on land that has been tended by the Algonquin, St Lawrence Iroquoian and Anishinabewaki people as well as innumerable plant and animal beings. Diane’s poetry has been called a “gorgeous treat for the spirit” that reflects the “mystery, messiness and power of Nature’s turnings.”
amara snakeroot hollow bones passed away from breast cancer in June 2022. Their physical body is no longer with us, but their spirit lives on in the hearts of those who loved then and on the skin of those who received their exquisitely beautiful tattoos. Amara’s art is born from an intimacy with the earth and place—the mountains, rivers, streams, and forests. Their drawings were spells, songs, stories and prayers for our return to wildness, as we heal the connection to our instincts, our bodies, sexuality, and our magic–illuminating our ever-present connection with the cycles of the earth, our bodies and the moon.
