The Queen's Lands

Outside
the benevolent hum of commuting automobiles
buzz saws
hydraulic cranes and
wailing children
persuaded
an exhausted spine,
aching for reprieve,
to curl
rapidly
towards the cushion.

A mind clenched in disordered thoughts
warily moved into sleep.

Shadowed forms cloaked and hooded
in
blackened vellum
danced
the steps of
beguiling lies
as the drifter
abdicated from the throne.

Walking
in humid meadows that had once been flood plains
she couldn't hear a thing.

Hopelessly exposed
to a light
that relentlessly plunged into ancient spiderwebs
and beheaded
the most alluring
of nettles,

the walking turned to plodding
and
as milky air parted between the footsteps,


there was before her

A heart.

Yes!

A heart

This heart!

It could be seen on the horizon of
a blushed cream sunset.

And this heart
was envenomed
in envious threads
and this heart
was guarded by
nefarious ivy.

Yet what was realized

what was made very clear to the onlooker
was that this heart was as any other
this heart was not special
this heart was not different.

This heart longed only for a mother

a mother with a thousand hands

a mother who hears all the cries of the world

this mother.

And what came forth,
before,
and after
was a
great
heavy
sigh.......
one that could awaken

and
as the dust from shattered concrete
swirled
and began to settle
in the doorways
eyelids softly murmured open.

A pale hand held open
in a vulnerable gesture
and in the palm

a fly

resting,
in a tiny heap
of shattered armour
weighed heavily .


Her eyelids stopped flickering and settled
to feel
the end of its life.

She arose and cupped the fly
in her hand
and as she brought this hand
towards her mouth
she whispered a few
careful words.

Outside
the trains had ceased running
streetlights began their nightly duty
shhhhhhhh.......

come on
let's go.