I held in my shaking hand
what was once a bitter breath,
A word, a secret, on which I had dwelled,
A secret I had sworn to embrace till death
A clandestine, diminutive thing
That which exposed my longing
A gash on a cardinal’s wing
A desperate need for belonging
But from that secret came
An infinitely devastating tale
The fiction of an imprisoned dame
At which saving, the prince did fail
Though when all comes to show
His try was honorable, at best
And with a strong stretch of his bow
He was equipped to finish his quest,
But little did he know,
He was his own wickedest foe.
And plummet, did he
Off the edge of the abyss
Forever failing to see
That all she needed, was true love’s kiss.