Then light shone from Logafell,
and from that radiance there came bolts of lightning;
wearing helmets at Himingvani [came the valkyries].
Their byrnies were drenched in blood;
and rays shone from their spears.
From the Helgakviða Hundingsbana
Skogul, the shaker, rakes trees ‘cross sky
at dusk the Valkyries in storm pass by
like Yggdrasil the ash they do not die.
Skeletal treetops claw a Wagnerian sky.
Nails score the coffin’s lid, Kara’s on high,
bone-fingers furrow Mist’s clouds, mare-tails fly.
At dusk the Valkyries in storm pass by
with mead for heroes; shrouds lift, death’s denied.
Hlaoguor svanhvit, swan white as snow, cries,
peace, mighty warriors, with Eir at your side.
At dusk the Valkyries in storm pass by,
the gates of Valhalla Sigrun holds wide.
Frost rimmed, battle worn, earthly death, they defied.
In a glamour, at gloaming, their swords high,
seated on horses behind maids with blue eyes
at dusk the Valkyries in storm pass by.

[Deborah Guzzi is a healing facilitator specializing in Japanese Shiatsu and Reiki. She writes for Massage and Aromatherapy magazines. She travels the world to expand her knowledge of healing and seeking writing inspiration. She has walked the Great Wall of China, seen Nepal (during the civil war), Japan, Egypt (two weeks before ‘The Arab Spring’), Peru, and France during December’s terrorist attacks. Her poetry appears in magazines such as: here/there:poetry in the UK, Existere – Journal of Arts and Literature in Canada, Tincture in Australia, Cha: Asian Literary Review in China, Latchkey Tales in New Zealand, Vine Leaves Literary Journal in Greece, and Travel by the Book, Liquid Imagination, Illumen, Sweet Dreams and Night Terrors, Dead Snakes, Literary Hatchet, Silver Blade, and others in the USA.]