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"A Goodly Warning"
by Rachel Heffington
O! Time is a
faerie-maid, dark is her dairy laid:
Larders of mem'ry
and amethyst lore.
But one kiss from
her lips
On your lips as
she slips
One cold hand in
your pocket will finish the chore.
For her kiss it is
sweet
It is death, it is
meat
It is sharp as a
bone-frost and light as a wheat
In her bed,
poppy-reds
glimmer bright as
she shreds
All your best
years of life into raggedy threads.
O! She picks every
purse with a laugh and a curse
but a beggar she
stays till the end of no end.
For her girtle is
trim
From the breast to
the hem;
She must ever stay
hungry to eat what you lend.
Never thanks,
never smile,
Such small coinage
is vile
In pay for the
life-years snipped off of a man.
But a kiss for the
road
- Age and Slumber
your load -
And a red-lipped
farewell where your trouble began.
O! Time is a
faerie-maid, dark is her dairy laid:
Larders of
mem'ry and amethyst lore
But one kiss
from her lips
On your lips as
she slips
One cold hand
in your pocket will finish the chore.
I want to say "You wrote this?" because it is fantastic, but then saying something bone-headed like that always makes it sounds like I expected less from you.
ReplyDeleteThe cadence is beautiful, the imagery superb - halfway through the second stanza I was thinking, "Gosh, wouldn't Chesterton like this? I've only ever caught such cadence from him."
I adore poetry and I'm never much good at it save through imitation, so now I hate you and I love this. It's splendid. XD
And I just second everything Jenny said. ^.^
ReplyDeleteI have turned my toes inward and my face is pink. Chesterton? Too generous. But I am glad you approve, Jenny. And Emily, thank you!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow. Utterly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully haunting poetry, Rachel. I was wondering how the cadence could sound so familiar, and then Jenny mentioned Chesterton and I went "Oh." This poem is quite Chestertonian. He's one of my favorites, but I did not know him as I know you, so this has a fresh familiarity about it. Chesterton and Heffington wrapped up in one. ^.^
ReplyDelete