They formulate Girl
within enceinte Maw,
weave here and mesh there
of gold, lambent straw.
Some mangled, some split
but entwined through strife
‘til Wolfgang the Third
strolled into Girl’s life.
Each strand of his fur
silk milk against light,
but Girl soon discerned
they ruffled at night.
The smallest of breeze,
a trivial stir
and a huffing and puff
he’d bellow at her.
Girl tried to hold strong
bear winds until day,
but the blast of his wrath
sprawled Girl’s golden hay.
Young Lady scoops up
bronze scraps of dogwood
placed here and stuck there
best young lady could.
Rain mist and rainbows
were always ashore
‘til Wolverine Jones
slinked into the fore.
Piercing opal eyes
cloud Young Lady’s sight
to brazen, black lust
he howls at the night.
Young Lady confronts
dark wolf gone astray
and a huffing and puff--
he blew her away.
Pink skin suffered some
puce bruises and nicks,
Bronze heart suffered most
being made of the sticks.
Woman blocks her heart
with permafrost clay
through sweating and toiling
to keep wolves at bay.
Woman’s mind like stone,
arctic to the touch,
a vow made through thoughts:
“I won’t love so much.”
Glass ice in her veins
as Pale Woman stacks,
halting Alfred Wolfe
dead in his snow tracks.
No huffing and puff
just kind as can be,
but wolves from before
are all Woman sees.
No more Girl with straw,
no Young Lady sticks.
Pained Woman will stay
behind glacial bricks
Just brilliant. What more can I say?
ReplyDeleteSuch a brilliant evolution of the initial idea through all the ages of womanhood, and lurking wolfiness of man-kind. I love the way you have laid out your lines, and the imagery is top drawer brilliance.
ReplyDeletePlease share on Real Toads Monday Open Link, Shawn. there are readers out there waiting for this.
DeleteWow! That was brilliant. One of my gave fables cleverly recrafted. Really enjoyed this
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I loved every line..brilliant! I so hope you join Real Toads~ The vivid imagery was dazzling :D
ReplyDeleteSo after revelling in your brilliant comment on my piece (I do wait for your reviews - they are the best!) I have hope that you've posted a new poem.... alas, you haven't, but then I realised I never commented on this brilliant parabolic tale of twist!
ReplyDeleteThe rhythm is just so luxurious and so wonderfully at odds with the sentiment that it all just snowballs, building momentum as it runs towards that final stanza. And what images you present in this hybrid fairytale of an adult complex, I love this:
Young Lady confronts
dark wolf gone astray
and a huffing and puff--
he blew her away.
Pink skin suffered some
puce bruises and nicks,
Bronze heart suffered most
being made of the sticks.
Woman blocks her heart
with permafrost clay
through sweating and toiling
to keep wolves at bay.
Woman’s mind like stone,
arctic to the touch,
a vow made through thoughts:
“I won’t love so much.”
and yes I'm aware I've just copied a chunk of the poem, but it's wholly justified, and I'd have copied more than that too. The heart of sticks, mind of arctic - the stony resolve of heart and mind in a rare unison that can come only from battles of life. Then the crux of the piece:
No more Girl with straw,
no Young Lady sticks.
Pained Woman will stay
behind glacial bricks
Bravo!! Now you need to get writing!!