Beansidhe Damhsa - Judith Mikesch McKenzie

The hills on fire

around me

I dance under the

falling water

Birth-naked, feet

deep in pine needles

sky above wild

with stars

I dance in the cold

fall of water

Breasts wet with

the joy of it.

Flames paint the

lake red

Still, the sky shines

approval

of fearless abandon

In twilit hours

we left the cabin

to scatter her

ashes falling from

our hands

only to rise in the

burning air

to meet the ashes

of a forest

re-birthing

And then I dance

---

There are places in your life that draw your heart right out into the world, and Judith Mikesch McKenzie was lucky enough to be born in one such place: the high mountains of Montana. The child of working-class parents, she left home early, and has traveled to many parts of the world, but is always drawn to the mountains and valleys of the Rockies as one of the places on the planet that feeds her soul. The combination of Irish and gypsy parents are evident in her life - outspoken, direct, and eclectic, she is drawn to friends and groups of people who reflect those characteristics. She is also a wanderer, never content to stay in one place for too long. She loves change - new places, new people, new challenges, but also has a strong connection to friends who have been in her heart for many years. Writing is her home.