pink, fluffy, dark

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
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