A Star that Shines Forever in the Sky

As autumn fades in shades of copper and gold I often think of those who have departed this world, and those who linger on. The colours of the leaves are echoed in the feathers of the birds in The Flight of Quetzalcoatl, an old Aztec poem. Here are a few favourite verses - from towards the end when Quetzalcoatl has taken leave of his people - I hope you enjoy them:

“It ended on the beach
It ended with a hulk of serpents formed into a boat
& when he`d made it, sat in it & sailed away
A boat that glided on those burning waters, no one
knowing when he reached the century of
Red Daylight
It ended on the rim of some great sea
It ended with his face reflected in the mirror of
its waves
The beauty of his face returned to him
& he was dressed in garments like the sun
It ended with a bonfire on the beach where he would
hurl himself
& burn, his ashes rising & the cries of birds
It ended with the linnet, with the birds of turquoise
color, birds the color of wild sunflowers,
red & blue birds
In ended with the birds of yellow feathers in a
riot of bright gold
Circling till the fire had died out
Circling while his heart rose through the sky
It ended with his heart transformed into a star
It ended with the morning star with dawn & evening
It ended with his journey to Death`s Kingdom with
seven days of darkness
With his body changed to light
A star that burns forever in that sky.”