(Part 1)

 

I remember you saying

Back when we were young

That sometimes you felt

Like a song left unsung

 

That reality was fake:

Our dreams held the key

And there lay the truth

Of how life should be

 

You were the princess

And I, the dashing knight

who saved you from the monsters 

And a pit of endless plight

 

Down to the woods I'd go:

A tree bone for a sword 

And, you would say, politely,

“Good evening, my lord.”

 

What adventures we did have!

Where Camelot lay in wait

King Arthur on the throne

And, in our hands, his fate!

 

“Beware!” You would say

“There's wild & feral things!

“And, little nooks where goblins hide 

“And, the dark, old witch sings!”

 

Hand in hand,we fought them all

Right up to the edge of the river

Where, beyond, lay the fields of Avalon

With such beauty not a dream could deliver 

 

“One day we'll find a way over,

“And, we’ll live there wild & free!”

“Yes,” I said, squeezing her hand.

“But, now, it's time for tea!”

 

Those were the days of magic

When sunlight dappled our dreams

But, life can pick them apart 

And, eventually, they fray at the seams

 

Years later, I awoke one morning 

Realising you were gone

We'd drifted apart on the tides of life

I only hoped you'd discovered your song…

 

The years drifted by like clouds

Some stormy, some bright, some grey

And often, I'd walk by the woods

Where a knight & a princess would play 

 

Some days I would barely notice

Others, I'd stare through the trees

Catching  little echoes of magic

And laughter caught in the breeze 

 

In springtime I took a break in Durham

Found solace in bookshop of old

Sipping coffee & reading some Tennyson 

When a voice lit a spark in my soul

 

“The Lady of Shalott, if you have it,” it asked

A voice said it was already out

I froze as her footsteps grew closer

My hopeful mind filling with doubt 

 

Her footsteps then ceased

An anxious breath I released

A finger then circled a verse on the page

I focused upon it, giving it centre stage:

 

“Outside the Isle a shallow boat

Beneath a willow lay afloat…”

 

I looked up, and years melted away 

I was caught in the princess's magical sway

“We never did look for a willow, my lord.”

“Then perhaps,” I said, smiling

“I need a tree bone for a sword…”

 

Photo courtesy of shutterstock

 

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