Walk a mile

Eleanor of Castile

No tale of heroism,
of magnetic charisma,
or even of poverty,
just a girl,
born centuries too early,
who took a life
prescribed by others
and found happiness.

Married,
without choice
or consent,
at the age of thirteen.
But a bond was forged,
finding devotion
and romance,
and, a rarity,
in a time of rampant affairs,
fidelity.

Women were nothing,
chattel,
merely for breeding,
but she found joy
in reading,
treasuring hand-copied books.
Commissioning a scriptorium,
reading of romance,
theology,
chess....

Advising her husband
on strategy and finance,
but always standing one step
outside the limelight.
Thirty six years of marriage,
till death did them part,
leaving her husband heartbroken,
building monuments in her honour.
Eleanor of Castile would not be forgotten.


Free verse. Written 17 January 2016.