No ratings.
a unicorn poem for the pink, fluffy unicorn contest |
to kill a unicorn, they say, is a noble thing— for they steal away children, they lure virgins to their herds, they upset the natural order of things. but the glitter of their horn the taste of their blood— those will give a man power and life. forever. I saw him in the corner of my eye, the pink of bleeding hearts, with a horn that glittered in the sun, as though all the stars were trapped in a three foot span. I watched for him. hoped he would come for me, to carry me away— I tried to guard my eyes, but eyes that have seen a unicorn shine in the dark wondering. lure a virgin to a glade, they say, surrounded with trees where a sunbeam points to the spot where she will sit— (virgins can be male, but female unicorns are shorter, and fiercer, and lack a horn) I cried, great, dewdrop tears when they came. rough hands, hard eyes, crude laughter as they pulled me apart to check for suitability. —don’t worry, girl, they laughed, —we’ll take what it leaves, nothing wasted. —if it leaves anything at all, one muttered when he thought I couldn’t hear. but I sobbed as they scrubbed my skin red, as they dressed me in silk— so fine it caught on their hands, as they bound my wrists with golden chains and sealed me to the forest floor I sobbed until my nose ran and my throat ached, and my eyes could find no more tears. let her wait there, they say, the hunting party lurking in the trees, soundless, and a unicorn will appear, tripping on dainty feet across the glade as my eyes dried, my hair hid my fierce joy at their clumsy crunching of dried pine needles I could hear them, loud and rough in the trees. the creaking of their leather, the snorting of their breath. on the forest floor— but the world paused. and when I looked up, He was there. move quick when you see him, they say, for a unicorn is deadly— the cloven hooves quick, the horn sharp enough to pierce a man to the heart through steel. they came shouting from the trees, swords high and sharp— and so many, and I tried to scream, but had no voice, so I buried my head in my hair to hide my eyes, but when their screaming died, He came to sit at my feet. He lay his head in my lap— horn dripped blood, hooves covered with gore, eyes, fire as He pierced me through. and I was free to follow, pink and glittering, hornless but fierce, to our new home. free verse line count: 93 |