Poetry Traditions Contest |
Come and hear this story of old When earth had just begun When heavens were but formless clouds And day and night were one . The sky had known no darkness then All that is seen was bright The Moon and Sun, in minuet Drawn by each other’s light . But those days of endless frolic Was but a bygone past The dancing was but a dreaming That wasn’t meant to last . When from below a missive came The herald to the end A call for show of pleasantries A rendezvous of friends . The songs of festive cheers belied The shadow that had loomed That the world would be torn apart When Harvest met the Moon . She served him crystal clear water She fed him plain white rice Indignant he be given more He felt his anger rise . And so the Moon unsheathed his blade With his eyes burning red Then with a frenzied lick of steel He struck his hostess dead . At once his own heart did indict The shame gnawed at his core The Moon hid away in darkness And shed his light no more . He wandered in the dismal blues Adrift in waves of gloom He cloaked himself with ash and dust Awaiting for his doom . But Light would not abandon him The Sun’s hand touched his face And for a brief, tender moment The Moon basked in her grace . Though guilt caused him to then escape To dwell in selfish pain But for the love he’ll not forget He’ll seek the light again (Based on the story of Amaterasu & Tsukuyomi from Japanese Mythology, though with several tweaks) (Form: Ballad. 44 lines, with ABCB repeated, in alternating 8 and 6 syllable lines) |