The power at my house is off. We are getting some repairs done, and the guys showed up at 7 and shut off the power at 7:45 AM. I’ve escaped to my daughter’s house.
She left a Mother’s Day gift on her dining table. It’s an oracle deck. Ironically, the first card I pulled was the snake. I am afraid of snakes, and my grandchildren know it, so they love to scare me with any snake-like toy. It is a visceral fear, completely out of my control. My son-in-law has gotten into the joy of scaring Mamére on our family trips. How did I pull this card? The Universe is speaking to me in snakes!
The label reads “Healer” and the message is “Begin the process of repairing something that has been hurt, sick, or not functioning at its best. Healing can leave us changed, but the scars remind us of our strength, courage, and resilience.”
Asclepius,
help me shed the skin of grief
and put on the armor of hope.
What are you most afraid of? What in you needs healing? Join me today with a small poem in the comments and encourage other writers with your responses.
Reflections on the Teche 
“the skin of grief”/the armor of hope” – what gentle words.
the invitation to lunch
slithered between us –
a step forward
maybe
next time a bit closer
Rose, I too am captivated by the same quote as you. Adding the word slithered is such a great word choice. With the thought of healing that Margaret suggested, contributed to an emerging feeling of closeness.
Rose, I forgot to tell you that my poem is embedded in my blogpost for today at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2026/05/when-photo-wants-to-be-poem.html.
Yikes! Clearly the oracle wanted you to address your fears from the get-go. When I was a newbie teacher, our library aid had such a fear of snakes that she couldn’t handle books that had a snake on the cover. She’d come get me and I’d deal with the source of her terror. She eventually got better with illustrations of snakes.
bridge over the river
not a single cobweb
no insects…no spiders
The insect and song bird apocalypses are one source of fear for me in the moment.
Mary Lee, your new teacher story is indeed a strange one. You were kind enough to help her through traumatic thoughts. I was surprised to hear your fear but happy to find the real meaning of the phrase insect and song bird apocalypses. It is sad that nature insects and birds are declining. I hear your voice loud and strong in your poem. My poem is embedded in my blogpost for today at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2026/05/when-photo-wants-to-be-poem.html.
Margaret, once again your prompt and inspirational quotes inspired me. The Golden Hinge poem format helped me to pour out the need for healing. Since it is a bit wordy, I added a blog post, using the quote from Asclepius,
help me shed the skin of grief
and put on the armor of hope.
I used both lines to create two sections for the poem with credits to you. Please click on https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2026/05/when-photo-wants-to-be-poem.html,
Margaret, some people think it’s ok to plague others when they find their fear trigger…. a visceral response to a fear trigger is something to respect as I believe it’s embedded from child days… i’m not fearful of creatures – but am fearful of intangible aspects of life, like cancer & kidney disease. I was fortunate that my mother was very accepting, even fascinated, with spiders & snakes…she would have been a great naturalist. I hope the adults who enjoy your authentic fearful reaction would grow tired of this worn out habit. Hugs.