Miserys the River of the World
Miseries the river of the world
And its coming nearer and nearer
As she sets out on her journey
She brings staves, and cups
And coins. On her back she straps
Swords.
A block of cheese and bread to break her fast
She treks
Across lands
She climbed mountains
To avoid its wet touch -
She flew griffins back
Swords tightly held to their fearsome throat
Emeralds clutched close to her chest -
Hoping to escapes its current
She looked into the eyes
Of men and woman
And found only missing shoes
And wilted flowers
She offered them her coin
As she asked a way around the river
Crows swooped down and ate
Their tongues
and children cried
tears caught in cups
a salty brew did she drink -
And she sat
before it -
thinking of the river
she thought of its breathy foam
its murky waters,
my how ugly she thinks
the misery of the world -
Doves ate her bread
and she offered them too her cheese
tired she decided to sleep -
Peacocks walked into the clearing
and a horse and birds chirped in the trees
and dogs licked her face
and rabbits nestled at her feet
they nudged and nudged until she woke.
She stood staring back
as a wolf mother and its den looked at her head cocked behind
beckoning -
The horse brayed wanting her to walk as they themselves
Became emerged.
This river of misery -
I have walked and trekked
And flew to keep from its grasp.. you want me
To let it wrap around me?
Yes, they said.
So she did..
bloody mouths open in horror and she draws her sword
Drinks from her cup thinking of the children and their tears
Drops the coins to its depth a prayer sinking -
She lets the current take her.
SWIM they say! Swim!
Her muscles tare, and her throat burns!
Her fingernails break as she reaches for the sandy beach
Using rocks that cut her
shred her ivory arms as she grasps to pull across.
Heaving - water pores from her mouth
Dripping she looks and sees the pearly gates
Red roses they hand her
They take her hand
And crown her in emeralds
And together with laughter in their eyes,
they dance.
