Task: Your own piece of writing for or about Loki. 

To Lodur, Loki’s Oldest Name

The collision of fire and ice,
The origins of creation-
I wonder sometimes if you
Were the mastermind that
Coaxed sparks from Muspellheim
Towards the ice of Niflheim,
Knowing that the two had to
Intertwine for the universe to begin.

I feel your age, sometimes,
In the weight of your gaze,
The fullness of the words you speak.
I wonder where you grew to hold
The knowledge that you impart,
Little nuggets of wisdom that
Help me see through clearer eyes.

Sometimes, the kindness in you
Makes me tremble because I know,
From my own life, that kindness
Comes at the heavy cost of pain,
and I hurt alongside you, knowing
that the pain you bear comes from
a grief so deep I can barely touch
the edge of it; yet you’re still kind.

To me, truth is a kindness even when
It is spoken harshly because at least
I know when it is said, I am being told
The truth instead of being fed lies out
Of some warped need to try and protect
Me from the reality of the world around me.

To be told the truth about the world
Is to be given the weapons I need to fight,
To be given the preparation I need to
Walk through the world knowing that
Others will not see me in the ways
That I wish to be seen but will paint me
In the light that their minds paint for them.

I have learned, walking with you, that others
Will also paint you with their own truth,
So focused on being right about who you are
That they forget the honor of simply walking
beside you, a god so ancient and so willing to
impart the wisdom that you hold to those who
are willing to sit back and listen without fear.

I do the best I can to keep the reality
Of your godhood at the forefront of my mind
Whenever we walk together; I know that I
Will never fully understand you, but I do the
Best I can to be as close to you as I can.
I strive to hear you, to be near you, and to
Honor you through the offerings I give
And the work that I do for you.

Though I can never say that your path
Is either easy or lacking in challenges,
I can say that it is a rewarding path to walk.
For me, the greatest reward comes from
The knowledge that you know me as I am-
You do not paint me with false strokes –
And the pleasure of being allowed to
walk with you as I grow more into who I am.