It was not cold enough to keep her whole
when Spring sprung anew to curdle her soul,
so he wept just like the castle walls
as they shed their sorrows at the thaw
and the ice around her heart did melt
as much as any love she’d ever felt
when confronted with his face and gait
so apposed to the words he’d carefully placed
in letters crafted on cold summer nights
in rooms empty of laughter, or of life.
Now she lay among her sisters past,
flowers sullied, bloomed all too fast,
victim to the warming months
where little for her condition could be done
except to watch her cheeks give way,
her skeleton to rise
beneath layers of decay,
and press his lips to white of her throat
when all that remained
was spinal column and bone.
I might have gone a little off target with today’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “writing a poem in which a villain faces an unfortunate situation and is revealed to be human (but still evil)”.
I’m not sure I managed to make Bluebeard sound in any way, shape or form human, but the prompt did inspire the poem so I have that at least.
Apologies if I sound croaky in the audio recording, I woke up feeling a little under the weather today. Nothing terrible, just a slightly sore throat and a stuffy nose.
P.S – I’m still looking for NaPoWriMo participants to take part in a series of guest posts in May showcasing their favorite poems from the month and a review of how they found the April challenge. You can find more info here.
I thought this prompt was a difficult one. I think you’ve managed it, and in lovely, lilting style as well.