From: moh2@quads.uchicago.edu (Kateri/Mary Anne)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.poems
Subject: Fraying edges
Date: 14 Oct 92 04:30:15 GMT
Reply-To: moh2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations


			      Fraying Edges

	Maiden tied to wooden post, rough gold cord crossing over her
	breasts and around her waist, securing her wrists behind her.
	She struggles futilely, long blonde hair whipping in the wind,
	Strands fly across her face, once-braided blossoms fall, lifeless.

	Sulfur stench of dragon breath heightens her panic
	as she strains against her bonds.  White bodice tears
	(as it was designed to do) exposing a creamy curve of breast.
	She pulls wildly...and suddenly...

				A cord snaps.

	(Accidentally tied a bit too loose?  Or perhaps she was a
	little bit stronger than the average princess, having begged
	archery lessons from her little brother to relieve the boredom
	of embroidery, flower-arranging, and tea-serving.)

	And so the maiden, virgin-pure, was faced with a choice -
	her first real decision, and little time to make it, for
	the hoofbeats of a mounted prince could be heard down the road.

Quickly tucking broken cord back	Tears of confusion streak down
around her waist, she promises		Carissa's face, as she untangles
herself that she can always change	her hands from the strangling cord, 
her mind, not realizing that with 	ignoring her bleeding wrists (blood-
that action she is locked into		stained white dress, and loss of 
the old pattern.			innocence) to hide in nearby bushes.

Knight rides up, glances at terrified	And when the prince arrives, he sees
maiden, bound.  He raises lance in	the abandoned post.  Confusion is 
salute.  He lowers helm and charges	evident on the handsome (but dull)
dragon, and eventually wins -		features.  Slowly he heads toward
brilliantly, as always.  		the dragon's cave, forgetting to
					charge and lower his helm.  And the
All is as it should be.			dragon incinerates him.

Perfectly virgin.			And Carissa's loss of innocence is 
And yet...				confirmed, with more blood on her hands

But as she's carried off, the maiden	She backs away from the scene, (one
wonders...what exactly has she 		not written in the fairy tale)
chosen in "happily ever after"?		And as she heads toward the
Clinging to her knight's mailed neck	road, she confronts the wide vista
she is assailed by doubt.		of sudden choices lying before
					her.

She gathers together the ragged edges	She gathers together the ragged edges
of panic with the courage of a 		of panic with the courage of a 
princess, determined to play her 	princess, and determines to brave the
role and do her duty.			world, and carry on.

Too late to change now, the damage	Too late to change now, the damage
is done, and a piercing ache of		is done, and a piercing ache of 
regret, for choices lost, finds 	regret, for safety lost, finds
lodging in her heart.			lodging in her heart.

There it stays, through once upon a 	And she goes on, to see what awaits,
time...and forever after.		a maiden alone, in a torn white dress.

==============================================================================

February 21, 1992

-- 
The autumn leaves are falling like rain.
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups at my table.		 - A T'ang Dynasty poem
Newsgroups: rec.arts.poems