That night..

The sun had set already
When I heard the hooves on stone
I saw them coming up our little fortress
With an expression that would chill one’s bones

Dark robes and dark expressions
I wondered where we would hide
And while I stayed hid behind a flimsy door
You invited them inside

You sat them down, and I don’t know how
You looked them in the eye
You spoke easily, in a familiar tone
And it threw them off the scent awhile

At last I heard one of them say
The very thing I had been fearing
The grimmest one- he asked for me
For a moment, I lost all bearings

They asked you if you knew me
And knew where I would be
I heard you pause, scratch your chin
And say, “I’m not sure, let’s see..

“Do you mean the one who keeps these birds?
The nest right out this window- it makes her smile
She feeds the birds each morning, and sings
But is too scared to touch them, should they be too fragile

Why, isn’t she an odd sort of girl
If that’s the one you mean- let’s see
who runs down the hill- her hair all scraggly
her laughter like hiccups of a bee

Oh she likes the bees too
Sends them flowers with ‘thank you’ notes
For all their hard work and the honey
And the sweetness of her morning toasts

Are you looking for the one who walks about
Smiling dreamily like she’s hit on the head with a pan?
And sometimes with a sly smile, seeming purposeful
So you’d think she had a plan!

I don’t think she has a plan though..
She’s either too lost or too smart for that
But then, what do I know? She did once produce
A rabbit from an old lady’s new hat

She talks all through the night, of the twisted relationship
between cats and the moon, or some such strange thing!
Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I fall asleep.. Anyway-
Is she the one for whom you’re looking?”

I hear you go on calmly,
for what seems a long night
Finally you say, “She’s here with me”
And I wonder if we’ll have to fight

I hear complete silence,
then some feet thinkingly tapping the floor
and finally a dark voice says, “No.
Doesn’t sound like the one we came for.”

With a swoosh of robes and steps falling away
I hear myself exhale
I walk to a chair at the center of the room
And at long last take my place

Where there had been darkness
Just a moment ago
I now see dawn arriving
Wrapped in a soft pink glow

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