You may have heard this story.


Blanca

Stranger things have happened, I suppose,
Though none has been revealed to me.
I left one morning for a town a good four
Days away from mine. My horse and I
Moved through a forest on a little-traveled
Path. The late spring days were warm.
The trees were tall and lush with leaves.
The sun was bright. The nights were mild.
I slept soundly on the ground, and saw
No one the first two days, but, on the
Third, I ran across a band of men who
Called to me. They brought me to their
Little cabin, led me in, and showed me
A young woman, who was dead, it seemed.
I turned. There wasn't much to do, but
They said, “Touch her. She's not dead,”
And they were right. Her skin was warm.
“She's poisoned. Will she ever wake?”
I looked again, and hoped she would,
As she was truly beautiful. I know no
Magic, have no cures, but chose, because
She was so lovely, to bend down to kiss
Her face. She woke up! She then smiled
At me and rose. The men began to cheer.
They brought her bread and cheese and
Meat, which she wolfed down, as she
Was starved. They had me sit, and fed
Me, too, and said that I should spend the
Night. They told the story of this woman.
Blanca was her given name. She was a
Princess from a castle somewhere to the
South of there. The queen, her mother,
Came to hate her as the mother's beauty
Faded. She brought Blanca to the forest
For a picnic, fed her poison, left her here
And rode away. The band of men discovered
Her, and brought her to their home. What
Now? “I must go back,” she said. “ I must
Confront my mother, and reclaim all that
Belongs to me. Will you lead me through
The forest?” I was helpless, almost as if
I had eaten poisoned food. I floundered
In her deep blue eyes, and mutely nodded
“Yes.” Two days, we moved through the
Woods, she on horseback, I on foot. We
Talked, and I soon was in love. She seemed
To, likewise, take to me. We kissed. I held
Her in the night, and dreamt, awake
Until the morning, that she'd always be
With me. On the third day, we emerged.
Her castle loomed beyond the plain.
She called up to the guards, who stared
And stammered, “We heard you were
Dead.” “I'm not,” she laughed. “Now,
Let me in.” The gates creaked open,
And we crossed the courtyard to the
Palace doors. I helped her from the
Horse, and we went in to face the
Dual thrones. The king jumped up
And called her name. The queen stayed
Seated, stunned. Had all gone as I'd hoped
It would, my lovely princess would have
Said the queen had tried to murder her.
She also would have told the king that she
Had found her love. The queen would have
Been sent away, and Blanca and I would
Have married, and this story, as such
Should, would have a happy end. In fact,
The queen burst into tears, and she owned
Up to everything. She begged her daughter
For forgiveness, which the weepy Blanca
Gave, and, within days, the king and queen
Made clear that Blanca couldn't love me.
Coolly, I was sent away to mount my horse
Outside the gates, and plod the path into
The forest, asking myself if I'd ever heard
Of stranger things.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 55 times
Written on 2016-05-20 at 21:06

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