Huginn and Muninn

Huginn and Muninn

Take flight…

Black, glossy wings against the sky,

They soar over Midgard and

Watch and listen.

They return to Asgard by breakfast,

To whisper the news of the world

Into the All-Father’s ears.

I think of Huginn and Muninn

Every time I see a raven,

And I now remember when I was a child

Making up stories of the great black birds,

That winged over the skies of Brown Deer,

Perching on telephone poles

and the lights of the football field.

This was long before I had heard of Odin’s Thought and Memory;

I privately called them “Lords of the Sky.”

I made up stories about how they were the bosses of

All the birds and animals,

And how the other birds had to bow before them,

And would fly away if they saw them coming.

I had whole dialogues in my head.

I made up stories all the time when I was a kid.

It made the walks to and from school bearable.

I had not thought about my “Raven Lords”

Since I was a child.

But today I put on my Norse Raven shirt,

And it all came flooding back,

As I wrote this poem.

Poetry is a key

that can unlock doors

of Thought and Memory…

Thought and Memory

Huginn and Muninn.