Dark Woods Collection (in progress)

Faery Name
...for the power of names.

You play with me, carelessly so,
As if I were a pawn within your game.
I can do so just as easy
With an utterance of your name.

The Fruit and Pit
...for the temptation of faery food.

Like the white fruit that grows on the black tree,
Your skin is as pale as snow.
And although it bleeds red like you and I,
Only you have its heart of stone.

This taste of fire burns my lips,
Staining them red with its sap.
It is painful and tastes of ash,
Turning my mouth to black
I crave it.

We Mortals
...for the faerys' thoughts on humans.

We, mortals, are more fragile than glass.
We lie as easily as harp strings thrum.
More swiftly than the wind do our feelings pass,
And just as swiftly do they come.
And while it is, when we die, other mortals weep,
It is no wonder why the fey don’t cry.
For we have poisoned the world only to escape to black sleep;
Our time gone in one faery sigh.

Spite
...for those entranced by the moon.

Hallowed sphere of pearly light
Take this madness away
Yours is a gift of dual spite
For in madness, sanity's pain is swayed

Star-Crossed
...for all the loves that were denied.

Many plays are composed
Of two star-crossed lovers
Each ending in tear-wrenching tragedy.
Take for instance Romeo
And young Juliet
And brave Haemon and Antigone.
All alike in the end
Wed in death—hand in hand—
Their love gone before the world to see.
For it’s fate—as it’s written—
That these loves are forbidden
And not in life were they meant to be.

Honeymoon
...for the unicorn's jealousy.

On the night before my wedding, I did go
To the glade of flowers gold
Never did I think I'd find a new lover there
His approach was soft and heralded by
The bowing of those flowers' fold
And in my eyes he did stare

Finding satisfaction, he did come
Stark against the midnight sky
And walked as if he were dancing a careful step
It was with gentle fawning that he
With spiral sword held proudly high
Bowed to me for my own ascent 

With wonder, I was entranced and held
Though, in welcome, I sank to the ground
Before this suitor nigh
And in my lap he did rest his head
With a gracefulness most profound
And in happiness did sigh

For hours until the moon was high
We did sit there together and sigh
And did not notice the time go by
Until there was another

The intruder, to my own surprise
Was my betrothed, come with wild eyes
The suitor started with reprise
And called fiercely back in challenge

My betrothed drew his sword in hand
To meet the curve of the bone-blade
Only to be cut down and done
For it was with bestial precision that
Before contest could be even made
The suitor had doubtless won

In a daze I did gaze on crimson stains
Running in the flowers of amber honey
And coloring the suitor's mold
Of jealousy he had borne my keeping
And although I continued my useless weeping
His head in my lap he did once more fold
In that glade of flowers gold

Samhain
...for that special holiday of the year.

On one night of every year
The fey are granted free reign.
The rules are void
From dusk till dawn
All Hallow’s Eve;
All Samhain.

Tea Cup
...for the mad tea party in Wonderland.

Antique cup sitting on the shelf—
Porcelain smooth and cool—
Are you empty of drink by half
Or are you indeed half full?

Alone
...for every lost soul in the dark forest.

Through this foggy forest
I dodge and turn the bends
Looking for an exit
In a wood that never ends

There are eyes that seek me
Hungry for my fear
Looking on from shadows deep
They do taunt and jeer

This night as black as crows
Cloaks me in a cold embrace
Each breath of wind blows past
Chilling kisses on my face

The trees reach thin, thorny fingers
Sharp as broken bone
And though I feel I’m being watched
I’ve never felt so much alone