The Reading
I know this isn't exactly poetry, any more (or less) than life itself is poetry. However, I claim poetic license because of my use of the word "guttering". 
This short story is a metaphorical account of my life right now, woven around a Tarot reading I pulled on the afternoon I wrote it.
I had the narrative all worked out and was about to try and invent a suitable reading to drop into it. For some reason I decided to see what the Universe had to say, and did an actual reading. It turns out that the Universe knows best after all. It was only the second reading I'd ever done, and it freaked me right the fuck out.
The circular 7-card spread used in the story is called "The Path". The card interpretations are drawn from "The Tarot Handbook" by Hajo Banzhaf, with light editing for flow.
*****************************
THE READING
I walk down the line of people that winds like a river to the wooden door. A lifetime line of hearts and minds flows past. At the end of the line I turn and take my place. People already there smile and greet me warmly.
"Hey, you're here!" "It's good to see you!" Then a conversation-stopper: "How did you find out about this?"
I have no coherent answer for them. I'd been out walking, and something had whispered, perhaps in the voice of a leaf. "Go that way."
I hadn't wanted to go that way, of course. That way looked quite uphill, and I already had another destination in mind. But a few steps around the next bend, the path I followed was blocked by a wind-fallen tree. From its leaves that same intuition whispered to me once again, "That way. Go that way."
So I went that way, and here I am at the foot of a long line of smiling people, standing in the shade of maple trees, without a clue or a care in the world.
I look back along the life-long lineup. The door at its head opens; a person steps inside; the door closes.
We wait in the sun-dappled shade, chatting like old friends. It seems that the call has been strong for all of us.
In what feels like scant minutes the door is right in front of me. I admire the precision of its workmanship, the rustic elegance of its hardware, the sheer beauty of its wood. Soundlessly it swings open.
I step across the threshold into a dim room that feels like warm, peaceful awareness. A thought fleets by: "If a room could feel like love, it would feel like this."
A voice that sounds just like the room invites me to sit down. I do.
On the table, two guttering candles and a deck of cards, set on a cloth whose colour escapes me. From the other side she looks at me through wide, dark, almond-shaped eyes, with a smile that reminds me somehow of a painting in the Louvre. My gaze keeps coming back to her eyes. She holds my glance and lets the connection develop in its own time.
"You want to Know." It's not a question.
"Yes," I tell her.
"Do you have a Question?" I swear her voice spoke the upper case.
"Uhhh..."
I think as fast as I can.
"Yes, I do."
"Then we shall begin."
She holds out the deck of cards.
"Please shuffle these as much as you wish."
I shuffle and hand it back. As she takes it our fingers graze, and I notice that she noticed.
A flick of her wrist fans the cards onto the table.
"Please pick any seven cards, thinking of your question as you do it. Please use your left hand."
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Done.
She turns my cards over one by one, arranging them in a circle on the cloth.
After a moment she looks back at me. "Your question concerns a relationship."
As the candles flicker, the room shrinks to just her eyes and the circle of cards. She begins to speak their story.
"The card in the first position shows the subject of your question. It is the Three of Swords. This indicates that there is a decision to be made that is in opposition to your feelings. This could signify either an obstacle or a liberation. The rest of your cards say it is the latter. This indicates that you are freeing yourself from dependencies and doubtful habits through the power of your mind. This is a painful, yet necessary step.
"The card in the second place is the Ace of Swords. It represents the principle of higher reason, of clarity and resoluteness. In a relationship, this card represents the relief of a conversation that clears the air; it indicates a solution, the mastering of a deep-lying problem. You have properly analysed the matter, and see it clearly.
"In the third position is The Lovers. This card indicates a great experience in love, yet with the requirement that a previous framework be renounced. That renunciation is essential for the possibility of love held by this card to manifest. Perhaps discarding past approaches is the decision that is in opposition to your feelings, as told in the first card.
"In the fourth position is the Two of Cups, signifying the loving encounter. In the personal realm it indicates flirting, spontaneously falling in love, or finding the expression of loving relations within an existing partnership. You give others the impression of being in love, that an interesting and lively encounter has spurred you on.
"In position five we find the Page of Pentacles. It proclaims an opportunity that is offered to you, one that is sound and reliable. It speaks of having a valuable and enduring experience, and stands for the initiative that turns a flirtation into a solid bond. Here it is not a matter of you doing something, but rather your willingness to let yourself be helped or given something.
"Position six is the King of Wands, that represents the masculine side of the fire element. It is the incarnation of self-assurance and the affirmation of life. This card is an expression of idealistic striving for growth, and the great potential for development and maturation of a person. Let yourself be guided by the strength of your faith and your inner certainty. Stay true to yourself and your moral principles. Trust in your sense of justice and prove your inner greatness in this matter.
"Finally in position seven we have the Three of Pentacles. The test that was the subject of the question, as given by the first card, has been passed. This card shows you entering new realms of joyful experience. It also shows the successful conclusion of some aspect of education or development in connection with a new beginning on a higher level. You have reached a threshold where you can step into a new phase of your life. The time is ripe, and there is no need to hesitate."
Her eyes never left mine as she spoke, and deepened as each card was told. Looking into them now made me dizzy.
"I can see in you that the reading is true. If there is nothing left undone here, I invite you to sign the guest book by the back door. I try to keep all my friends."
Reluctantly breaking our gaze, I walk slowly toward the back door. Someone else's pulse pounds in my ears.
A thick leather-bound book rests on a small table. I pick up the pen and inscribe my name on a fresh sheet of hand-made paper. Impulsively I turn back the pages, and smile when I see that one of the men just ahead of me in line has left this comment:
"Eyes you can get found in."
Perfect perception, perfect words.
Stepping across the next threshold, gently closing the door behind me, I emerge smiling into the sunlight of my new world.
