On the first day, after the night
Eternally long and eternally bright
The sun filled the sky with a jubilant glow
And the maiden lie sleeping in daisies and snow
(And how could there be the two? Daisies and snow?
Well, listen my children and you might all know!)
The maiden was chilled by the curious cold
A warm summer day in the meadow fortold!
But the forecast was wrong, oh how could that be
When the maiden had seen on her morning teevee?
But yet so it was, and creation was new
Most certainly glitches would be one or two!
And so the fair maid on that gold summer day
Tossed her fair hair and the snow went away
And a bit after waking and feeling the sun
Discovered how boring it was to be one
So cast she her eyes, both to-ward and fro
And willing it so made a boy up to show
He stood at the edge of the plain to defy
To challenge her making with sparks in his eye
And so she rose up and made as to smite
And bristled did he at her display of might:
"Come to me, maiden," he called to her then,
"Come and be with me not once but again!"
The beautiful maiden froze there on the spot
"But I have just made him," she, mortified, thought.
"Ah, yes, you made me!" the boy shouted then.
"You made me before and you'll make me again!"
So he turned on his heels and before her he fled
"So brazen is he! I should just make him dead!"
But before it could form, the threat poofed in smoke
(Creation was new: the cloud made her choke
And a promise she made to herself on the spot
"Mind what I think and I say I should ought!")
Through the blue cloud she rushed for the other
A father, a son, an impossible brother
A companion to please her and tease her and more
A gem in these daisies already a bore.
But as she chased after a curious thing
She felt herself aging and wisdom it bring
She felt herself aching to be by his side
Her beautiful husband, his beautiful bride
And at last when she caught him, in deep of a glade
A cottage was built and a fire was made
And he with his horns glinting light in the shade
His muscle and sinew so brashly displayed
"Come you at last? You ancient of days!
"Not Maiden, not Mother, but Matron decays..."
And her temper lashed out, "I've pursued you my life
"To make you my husband.
"Now make me your wife!"
Shocked he did look on her, then smiled amused:
"Am I of an evil to be so accused?
"For all of my life I have dreamed of this place
"A home and a fire... a woman... your face...
"More beautiful than now you have not in life been
"I've made you this heaven, won't you please come in?"
And she took a step forward, and age fell away
With each single step melt ten years and a day
And stood she beside him, looked up to his eyes
"All I have left is one little surprise..."
He brought forth a box, a small oaken thing
And opened it up and... inside a ring
On each side a symbol, one crescent, one round
"You are the sky, and I lowly ground!"
And a smile she shared with him in the soft grass:
"Are you ever to be such a pain in the ass?
"In all of my slendour both night and the day
"Who will I shine down on in clearness and gray
"With silver in evening, and gold in the morn?
"For whom do you think dawn and dusktime were born?
"Alone in a meadow, my love brought you out
"Now serve me a supper that leaves me no doubt
"That dreaming you up was the right thing to do."
The boy blushed a little: "I hope you like stew..."
And so it has been since the dawning of time
(As I'm sure it seems you've been reading this rhyme)
The Lady in beauty both threefold and bright
Her consort a taunting but glorious Knight
Have slept in perpetual, chaotic bliss
And awakened to find not creation amiss
And dance the old lovers: slow, sometimes fast
Today be the future, tomorrow the past!
Minneapolis, MN
March 12, 1999
