Ghairo Daniels Poet Other

Myrrh Retold

COMPANION POEM TO : 
ODE TO MYRRH TREE


So Myrrh stood in centre of desert 
wild winds through branches delivering         untruths plaited with sorrow
dust particles choking cacti 
scatterings of sparse rain made 
no patter ~ 
                 silence  w a i t i n g  

white became her trunk scrubbed with 
daunting sunrays through sluggish day
undulating endless sand dunes …
                                       panted
time miracle-less, no veils shielded
raw core, passive ~
                            lizards  l o u n g e d

odourless her branches lost seduction 
no oily lubricants for pear-shaped flesh 
      brittle bark snapped in lost loneliness 
beauty a faded glory buried 
                                  d e e p
                                               
        beetles spent by breeding atop 
 harsh grit of ancient desert  f o s s i l i s e d  

mystical myrrh magic was no more 
her stump dissipating into fragments 
                                                  sore 
breathless desert discerned, exhausted 
camels, lashes threadbare, kneeled surrender 
     tongues brittle papyrus into electrons
lips parched ~ 
    
                lines of  m e l a n c h o l y 

Tree of kings, empresses and prophets !
where have colourful canvassed tents in
     sandstorms gone with patterned serpents curling to tunes of alluring pipes, 
smoke honey eyes, when limbs twined warm ~
  
            sensual  t o g e t h e r

the All-Embracing laments 
                              languid
across desert’s fierce micro flames 
        sweat dripping ~ His amber inlays
            melting into black beads 
                       disappearing 
soundless screams ache 
                 starving  l o n g i n g 

ages of loveless waiting
        what is beauty but terror flipped ?
wrinkles speak of struggle and beasts
    time tightening grip across
                                          opEN
                                                s p a c e

scent slipping ashen dregs
as desert creatures cackled an end
      stars dripping crystalline sorrow
          myrrh momentarily disappeared …

 ___________________________

Published: Edge of Humanity Magazine: 
June 26
Placed : 5th Premier Contest 
Sponsor : Brian Strand
April 26

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Paige Hind April 12, 2026 at 9:04 PM Another fav from you, dear Ghairo. WOAH. <3 <3

Mulu Magdalinos April 2, 2026 at 5:37 AM Hello Ghairo . Beautiful,. Congratulations! Have a happy day! Ghairo Daniels April 3, 2026 at 1:02 AM ThkU for visit, Mulu. Have a beautiful day too. Xxx

JC Brul April 1, 2026 at 7:21 AM another masterpiece unfolded. Congratulations. ^__^ Ghairo Daniels April 2, 2026 at 12:59 AM Respects to you, JCB !

Victor Buhagiar March 31, 2026 at 11:32 PM A dark perspective of a sad panorama where even lizards are staionary. Great imagery and emotion. This is my last poem of this Holy week. Happy Easter. XX Ghairo Daniels April 1, 2026 at 6:50 AM ThkU Victor. Have a beautiful blessed Holy Week. You will be in my prayers. X.

Ghairo Daniels March 30, 2026 at 8:53 PM (Poet’s Note : My poem, Ode to the Myrrh Tree, was one of my very early poems written for a psychotherapist who reminded me of a Myrrh Tree, sensuous & steady, a light during dark days of Apartheid. I became attached to poem after doing a YouTube video on it, so rewrote it, to release poem into another perspective, changing emotion & character & keeping context. This is a useful exercise to do for increasing detachment to one’s craft.)