Ephebe’s Quest #4

4. Earth ~ Rescuing The Queen

arrive ~ with worn soles, dusty homespun

frayed ecru, full of holes and dagger

lost ~ at the stone fortress she greets

me at the thick nail

studded, iron bar door. blue

and green tapestries adorn

her paper doll body. fingers play

her thigh allegro con dolore. eyes child

wide with secrets. no tell,

no tell, just read my pupil.

follow the optic nerve to the moving

picture library of arbitrary flash

backs burning. longer.

better than Un Chien Andalou,

catalog worse than the razor calmly

slicing the eye; an ant holes in wounded

palm; the mouth wiped away

by a the back of a hand;

waist deep in sand, bodies buried

look toward the tide. then leave her

organized, safe. once you’ve seen the

flickering; heard the slapping scream

soundtrack of a silent movie in your head.

she is safer here in the cold stone fortress.

when the turquoise limousine strains

up the switch back mountain road.

the stiff spine woman in black jerkily gets out.

ignore the fish wire strings when she beckons.

the painted smile is real. accept. you owe

her your fealty and honor. she loves

you. raised you once as her very own

in sunshine defiant of shadow.