winter sunrise (phoenix)

Once upon a time there was
A Queen and her mighty mate;
A King whole sole occupation was
To write songs of love and hate
Whilst his woman steered the country
Through the vast arrays of life..,

Three daughters they raised together
Now all of marriageable age, yet
Whenever a prince loomed nigh
The Queen would rage or deeply sigh
Then solely blame her offspring
For stirring up the country’s strife.

As all three princess heirs knew
What could one day be theirs
If it wasn’t for the curse placed
On their lineage. A husband was
Needed to claim the future throne
Yet what ruled this family of rulers
Was a curse of unruly hair, which in
All fairness, indeed was quite unfair.

When her serpentine hair was tied
In a bun at the back of her head,
The eldest princess would poison
The fiercely powerful cobras against
One another; but when it hung loose
She’d dismiss their venomous tongues
For being a mere bunch of split ends.
Renowned she was as Cleo although
Her real name was Medusa; famous
And feared for no good reason,
That nickname rather amused her.

The youngest princess was a very
Pretty, vibrant young lady; she looked
Nothing like her eldest sister (who was
Fearsomely intense though kind of shady)
Instead this little angel carried off
With utmost joy, her priceless crown
Which could resist no eager little boy
As her golden locks became solid coins
Whenever they were touched, by hands
Trembling with awe or greed or lust.

Yet these coins burned holes in hands
- young hands more valuable than gold;
And it was known by all that Goldilocks’
Golden locks could not be bought or sold.
She’d wave and smile at all of them, then
With regal mire she’d solemnly announce:
“Boy, your hands belong inside your pants.
My headdress, it is mine; and now you’ve
Also lost the chance to ask for my one and
Only hand from dear father, the great Sire.”

The middle child however, well that’s a
Different story. She didn’t share her sisters’
Fame; there were for her no fearsome flames,
Nor beauty, nor a head-full of sheer glory.
Although her heart was kind and her intentions
Pure and nice, it’d been frozen years ago in
A moment when her hair had turned to ice.
Icicles, yes icicles, all icicles that occupied
Her head; they hung sadly off her shoulders
Wallowing like willows; whenever she went
To bed ‘d leave wet patches on her pillows.

Ignored by friend and foe alike, left her
Little choice but to spend the seasons
In the company of neither girls nor boys
Alone and unencumbered she’d watch
The world go by, and for years on end,
All day and night, no suitor, foe or friend
Would pay heed to her sorry plight.

Until one day when she had awoken
Very early in the morning (her bedroom
Was still draped in dark & cold & gloom)
When sunbeams, somewhat tentatively,
Shone shyly through her window, and
With all due respect made the request
To call an end to her state of mourning.
They tickled her transparent skin, gently
Defrosting her heart and ardour, with
Their fine rays of brilliant pastel colour.

And so the Ice Queen in the making
With a sudden shudder, jostled into
Awakening; she smiled, she laughed
And tears streamed from her eyes
As then she knew she was to be
The one, to everyone’s surprise,
To be chosen, to be called, to shine
Her light upon the world, and as her
Icicles melt, well the story, it was told.

Told for many centuries amongst great
Kings and greater Queens, that nothing but
The sacred sadness of that child could bring
Them to their knees, to kneel in awe when
Facing the true essence of power, love and
Beauty; and that there’s no end to anyone’s
Demise but for that single moment, the golden
Blessing of an end-of-winter sunrise.
And when that newfound life sets in
It’s known in blood and bones; and only on
That special day, that first new day of spring.

***

All’s well that ends well, a wise old man once
Said; well our heroine married her favourite
Prince, the only one who had, not bothered
With the golden locks or been tempted by
The snakes; his world was one of wonder and
Of beauty, of mountains mirrored in the lakes.
New life engulfed the countryside; the palace
Enjoyed a renaissance; and her sisters stayed
On as faithful servants and heirs, as no matter
What the throne beheld, the benign Queen knew
That what was hers would always remain theirs.