Rebekah Mowbray is a spirit-led woman. With credits in award-winning films, she is a talented Federation University-trained actress, classically trained musician, poet, and author. Recently she relocated from Australia to uncover her ancestral heritage. Known for crafting emotive poems in less time than it would take to butter toast, Rebekah is a deeply engaging storyteller. Committed to reminding others that hope can blossom in the most trying of circumstances, Rebekah tells stories of ‘dark’ moments with a smile and understanding grace. Rebekah has a passion to live with authentic resilience and encourages others to do the same.
The Unravelling Scroll
This morning,
there was a constant taunting…
A relentless jeer –
no one else can hear…
The shackles of past
firm and steadfast.
The Will of the new
continuing to brew.
An anger so pure
beings to rise.
This life of past
I despise.
A desperation from deep within
causes my heart and feet to spin.
Turning and turning
with speed and power,
the shackles are clanging
and twisting in horror!
Splinters from the earth do show
the shackles loosening.
My power beings to grow!
Empowered by the loosing chains
I celebrate all the little gains.
Choosing to not relent,
but to spin until I’m completely spent.
Turning.
Turning.
Round and round I go.
This way,
That way
I begin to glow.
Glowing with a strength so pure
the voice inside quivers in fear.
A new voice booms from within
“Things won’t remain as they have been!”
Now is the time.
Now is the day
to break those shackles
come what may!
The ground splinters and splutters.
The bolts fly in the air!
The shackles no longer bolted
whip around her hair!
The chains alight with fire
strike the enemy.
With passionate desire
she cries out, “Victory!”
Though attached to her wrists
she uses with glee
those whips of power
passionately!
For years she’s been webbed
conquered by the voice,
not realising it all
came down to a choice.
Not to give up,
and not to give in…
But with all of her might,
to fight and to spin!
To dance into freedom.
Dance through the chains
that tried to hide
the significant gains…
Trying to convince
that unimportant they were,
but truth be told
they caused the enemy to stir!
An uncomfortable stir,
so rigid and true.
The enemy knew
the day was nearly new.
Meaning the season of night would end,
the enemy no longer posed as a friend!
But, a beast of savage nature,
a beast of the air
that would destroy everything
without a care!
The beast knew his time
was coming to a holt.
So with all of his might
tried to convince her –
it was her fault…
That she stood where she was,
in the cemetery.
The dead dreams,
abandoned,
all the captivity
was products of her choice,
products of her fear.
But all of a sudden,
another voice she did hear…
This voice was quite quiet,
but firm and intense.
It rang with encouragement!
It became her defence!
Becoming a barricade,
the enemy was heard no more.
His mocking and jeering
was silenced with awe.
The quiet voice spoke,
and continued to say
words that made darkness
stay at bay.
All of a sudden,
graves turned into holes.
Trees were planted,
out came the scrolls…
Scrolls of destiny.
The scrolls of her youth.
Scrolls thought destroyed.
Scrolls of the truth!
From graveyard to garden,
now all she could see
was the liberator
from all her captivity…
The restorer of all that was stolen too,
and a summoning,
an encouragement
to start anew…
Walking around the garden of Dreams
Pulling some fruit from between the leaves,
she took a great bite from an apple and saw
a brand new path that lay before
her feet,
so now what did she do?
She took a courageous step into the new.
Worldly Waves
The buzz of the world gets louder until
I don’t know what will calm, what will still
the turbulent waves I’m battered between.
Being whipped,
being lashed
by the worlds’ seas…
Waves of the rush,
of the noise,
of the clatter.
Tossed to and fro –
on the rocks I do splatter!
Sprawled and bruised,
gasping for air.
Tangled and hurt –
does anyone care?
Of course they do –
that I know!
The sea is a mirage,
a magic show!
For this morning when I woke in bed,
I was joyous, looking forward to the day in stead!
But something happened that changed my sight…
Something turned my day to night!
Something turned my joy to dread,
Something seeded deep within my head…
A lie.
Darkness grew within the soil
of the garden of my soul it did toil…
It strangled the flowers of delight.
Strangling life,
death was left in sight.
Overgrown weeds of despair.
Thorns, thistles,
the dead filled the air.
A cemetery,
a tomb,
trapped in the deep.
A longing for light,
but the darkness did keep
me chained and tied and weighed down low.
Screaming, I tried to run and go…
But the chains of despair were shackled to me.
I could see the lock –
but not the key?
Scrambling and searching all around
the key to escape was no where to be found.
I pulled and tugged and reefed on the chains,
to no avail,
it only caused more pain!
The key,
a key was my only chance,
to rid the darkness,
get out of the trance…
But what was the key but a thought in my head…
To wake up from this dream –
get out of my bed!
“Wake up!
WAKE UP!
Loose the chains.
Listen to my voice – not the pain…”
“Your voice?
Who’s voice?
Are you talking to me?
Are you able to set me free?
Please, don’t go
Don’t leave me here…
Please help me!
Can’t you hear?
Can’t you hear the cry of my heart?
Help me from this place depart!!
Tell me what I have to do.
Please help me –
I’m begging you!”
“Be calm, be still.
Hear my voice.
Feel my peace –
it’s all a choice.
Take a breath.
Breathe deep and strong.
Open your ears,
hear my song.
Hear the song sung over you.
The words I speak and sing are true.
Listen.
Be still…
Breathe
…”
A melody, so subtle, surrounded me,
It entered the lock –
it became the key!!
The song, the words,
the breath from within
caused the darkness to reel and spin.
Turning, wreathing, hissing with desire,
lighting flashed through the dark,
it started a fire!
Light blazed all around.
The heat, the smoke,
that glorious sound…
I joined in the song
with the angelic chorus.
I sang with my heart.
Darkness stood before us!
Darkness stood before the Light.
It challenged her but didn’t win the fight…
The fire of Love and her lightning power
cut through my darkest hour…
The power of peace, the breath of life
saved me from the sharpest knife.
It opened the eyes of my heart.
The lies and chains broke –
I could depart!!!!
Finally free from the darkness that tried
to strangle, to suffocate me,
it had lied!
Those chains were lies spoken over me.
They were fake.
They were wrong!
I ate from the wrong tree!
How foolish, naive,
how silly I was,
to allow darkness to reign.
I hear an applause…
I fell for that magic trick!
How could I be so thick?
A woman of power,
passion too
was so easily fooled
by a lie –
it’s true!
Dusting the dirt from my side,
I choose no longer to stay and hide.
Into the light I choose to go.
I choose to join the other show.
The show of beauty,
love and life.
The show of light and delight.
I choose to bask within the song.
I choose to sing and dance along.
I choose to remain and be,
seated from a place of victory.
I choose to breathe and bask in peace.
The darkness I choose to release.
I choose to look to the sky and be
a courageous woman,
wild and free.
The Forward
I couldn’t walk.
I couldn’t talk.
I couldn’t breathe.
To shatter so suddenly
and scatter like dust.
I had to leave
to re-learn how to trust.
My friends became ghosts,
my community too.
I didn’t know what
else I could to do.
I went to the Clinic
more than once a weak.
How weary I was;
unable to speak.
But help me they did,
even if it were so,
my therapist too
encouraged me to go
across distant lands
and foreign seas.
I had to find something
to help soothe and ease
the angst that I’d found
myself cocooned in.
I no longer knew
the feel of my skin.
Foreign.
It was foreign.
I was foreign.
Everything was.
Playing with Pleasure
He was playing with pleasure the strings of my flesh.
Softly caressing.
I did undress.
Slowly.
So slowly.
Soft.
So soft was his touch.
I was exposed completely to him.
My heart was open.
My mind did spin.
Around and around
out of control…
In that moment he held more than my soul.
He held my heart.
He held my flesh.
He held me.
My body, it sung,
it hummed with delight.
Shudders of pleasure cried out in the night.
I cried out for him.
I cried out for me.
I cried out in absolute vulnerability.
He was playing with pleasure my flesh and my soul.
I was dancing and wreathing out of control.
Time, it stopped.
We were then one.
Our journey together had finally begun.
Finding Her Flight
So much was in hiding.
Too much.
For years she’d been trapped.
Capped.
Years.
Years she’d been in hiding.
Years.
For years she’d been trying to just survive:
to breathe.
Years!
Long ago she’d given up the thought of being…
Becoming…
Long ago.
Suddenly,
in a moment
she was gifted with a choice:
to become all she was,
to embrace all she was destined to be –
or remained trapped,
capped by captivity.
Tears of truth trailed down her face.
What would be her choice?
Would she remain bound in that place?
The cascading fall told of the torture
she’d felt,
the reality she’d lived
and the torment that terrorised her
constantly.
Pain.
Such pain.
Cleansed by the blessing of rain.
It drenched her:
Rain.
Soaking both her soul and heart
she was gifted with a choice
to depart.
Letting out a breath and sigh,
she lifted her face
to meet the sky,
“Here I am,
meet me now.
I want not to remain
but I don’t know how
to leave.
I don’t know how to breathe…
I don’t know how to feel
ease
peace
to release
all that is here.
All that’s in me.
Help me please
I want to be free.”
She’d chosen.
Answering the ancient call
she knew she’d either rise or fall.
Rise or fall.
Rise or fall.
She knew she’d either rise or fall.
The swelling of her soul,
told of her choice…
Her sigh and cry
released her voice.
She’d spoken.
Finally.
She’d chosen.
Courageously.
Freedom.
Unlacing the string that had been binding
confining her essence,
she sang.
Fragmented memories were suddenly free.
She remembered and wept
for their beauty
their essence was felt.
In every breath,
in every sigh,
she remembered love
and let out a cry.
Her fingers remembered
the foreign touch…
Her feet in the earth –
it was all too much.
The feeling…
It was all too much.
Freedom.
All was too much to comprehend.
All that was lost,
suddenly
she heard a friend.
Singing in the distance,
sitting in a tree
was a little lark
singing so sweetly.
She heard.
She remembered.
And finally,
finally, she flew.
Expanding her lungs,
opening her heart,
she felt as though
she’d burst apart.
She remembered.
The essence of her,
the core of her
the whole of her
remembered:
Freedom.
The Galway Review 