Norns, The female trinity of Fates. . .known as Weird Sisters. . ."three mysterious beings" who revealed the secrets of the universe and wrote the book of destiny; hence their other title, Die Schreiberinnen, "women who write."

Barbara G. Walker, The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets

Yardwork used to be easier

before the Norns unionized.

Script writers for Cosmic Womb Corporation,

the Weird Sisters have contractual breaktime

for smoking Luckies and playing Mah Jong

out on the patio next to their cave.

Late last millennium they switched

from watered ale and honey mead

to Singapore slings and lime daiquiris,

leaving a litter of yellow plastic monkeys,

swizzle sticks and tiny toothpick umbrellas.

(Fishing them out of the Fountain of Wisdom,

is tricky business; I really don't need

any more insight right now. )

The Doomsday Serpent went on Wellbutrin,

stopped gnawing and joined a marimba band,

practicing here every afternoon.

Next week they're cutting their first demo.

Niebelungen La Bamba they call it.

With all the activity out by the old axis mundi

I've gotten behind with my weeding and watering

and if oceans aren't as clean

as they used to be, it's truly not my fault.

If you come by, remember,

I'm taking my breaks up in the tree,

away from the noise and secondhand smoke.

I'm doing some freelance writing myself

and sometimes it takes a while to get down

from branches hung with stars.