Grimm Tales Poem by Lum Chabot

The story begins in a small wooden house,
Where no animal dare venture near, no animate
Foray, not even by little white mouse.
It is here in the floor center, disparate
Children sit and are spoken to by vile
Witch, she warns them of danger, yet
They stay, they risk it all to be servile,
Tales they long, all but one will not bet
Their lives for; out she runs, through the door,
Leaving ghost children sitting on the floor.

Through darkness she child walks,
The valley of darkness not familiar to her,
The trees form silhouettes that balk
In her graceful wake, no word
Encapsulates her fear and dread of
The forest at Twilight, the sun
Abandoning her, wind from above
Allow newly dead leaves to fall: haunting has begun.

As she walks, her imagination riles
Up her senses, they conjure nightmares,
Yet she is awake, youthful mind reviles
Thoughts of horror, to of faeries and hares
They go, but at sound of breaking sticks,
Run this girl does. A root grabbed her leg
And earth she upset; closer sounds became, quick
She arose to avoid thing to make her beg
For life, she stopped running though soon,
For what she saw caused poignant monsoon.

In front of her stood a different wood.
Not alive as the last, yet active more,
Walked slowly did she into this hooded
Mystery place, Shadow Forest, and pleasant thoughts bore
Their way through dread to keep her sane,
Organs there play organs, as she walks through darkness plane.

But as she walked, eyes she felt on her,
Not blue or green, but black as shadow,
They look on from trees, no bird
Song sun, no mouse ruffle leaves, no doe
Gambol, just organ music wailing in her head,
So loud she thought she was already dead
And was hearing obsequies, but her heart
Beat in her breast and head, until something her did start.

In enclave of thoughts, no norm haven she found
As she came upon a hollow; she heard birds,
Raven, Crow, owl, jester laughing, hound
Bark, and she did not respond with words.

She crossed the Hollow to dancing Spirits,
Sylvan, and she asked for a way out,
“What shall we do, sisters? Make her pay? Hear it? ”
They nodded and led her off the path, loud shout
Or note as girl tread new path, behind sisters
As they cackled, dangerous gamble led visitors
To a place spirits would ne’er go,
Nor way through would they show
For whom the bell tolls.

At the end of path, figure shows itself,
Be it the keeper of evil, wielder of Wicked Heart,
The Witch Queen appears to the girl, and melt
Does the girl’s resolve; spirits flee at start,
But as soon as she arrived, disappeared,
The Witch Queen conjured image, void of cheer.
Real witch at Witch’s Tower; of ghost children, potion
Making, spell casting, cursing the land and oceans.

Witch Queen sends out denizens of night
To plague this young girl lost in shadow,
These Wraiths of Night find her light
Skin and hair; wrap themselves ‘round, meadow
Girl found now tainted black, girl to her knees
Dropped, screamed at twisted nightmares thrust
Upon her mind, out of cover of trees,
Her torture easy for Witch Queen to see; rust
Colored flowers soon flourished
As innocent girl was re-nourished.

Awake did girl back in the woods, midst
Bed of leaves, in her head heard Witch’s laugh,
She rose to her feet unhindered, in clear mist
She looked around until a part of half
Hidden trees parted, to reveal The Forgotten Path.
Down this path she walked, familiar sounds
Came to be, crickets and night bird songs hath
Penetrated darkness, calmed the girl as they resound
Parallel to her gait. Her mind wandered back
To misfortune early, and she smiled at present
Situation, but at end of the path
New Fairy Tale awaits her.

Inscription on rock told a tale
Of a young maiden, fair,
Doing battle with Witch, ‘gainst gale
She stood ground; did not fall to evil air,
Strength anew, she moved midst sinew
And skin of pressing trees to Caverns whence dark wind blew.

In cavern, Crone girl met, and it spoke:
“Dost thou thinkest thee superior to
My dearest Queen, thee with no spells to stoke
The power? You are girl anew…”

With effigy stare, Crone burst to flames,
He ran yelling this fair girl’s name,
She walked to the bear of heart, same…
“Satella… Satella…! ”

Out of cavern Satella walked, heroinely,
The black trees at her passing become again
Green, verdant and vivid, so lively,
Shaking with excitement at what they’ve seen,
Satella’s proud gait, confident sheen
From blue flames at her feet, lighting her way,
But suddenly stopped in front of door, destiny
Realized, “Labyrinth of Dreams, ” the doorway did say.

Door was just oaken and small;
She pushed inward and it opened to first hall.
Crystalline chrysalis littered the walls
And ceiling; Satella wary, lest she falls
Into traps Queen set out. Signs pointed the way,
Yet tempts of mineral, cloth, even flesh attempt to dissuade
Many from pointed out path.
Yet at these traps, Satella just laughs.

Finalement! Mossy stone yields refined,
That of the Witch Queen’s castle,
In dungeons Satella is, and races to find
Source of organ music heard upon enter, hassle
‘Mongst thousands of rooms, hex’d
To snare those lured by lofty ideas…
Up three flights of stairs, violet velvet carpet laid,
Satella burst through pine doors, and entered the hall.

Queen yells out challenge to Satella,
Who answers with flames
Which seem to come from very veins, blue
All around as she notes organs on organ,
She glared at the Queen; flames roared
Anew as Witch took to the air,
Black flames ensued.

Ball of fire shot toward ‘ine,
Enchanted flame surrounded her, black,
But blue won over and returned, pine
Shattered as Witch hit rafter; back
Into battle, a pillar of fire and sea of ice
Beset upon Satella, hit by both; brought to knees,
She wobbled to her feet and, with vice,
Sent heinous blue flame from hand… outside trees
Shuddered as flames encompassed the Witch;
Entered her veins, rend’ring her flames wisp.

Retreat to top of Black Spires did Witch,
Not out of the fight. There she stood chanting,
Satella rushed up spiral stairs to meet the b****
Of a Queen who enslaved a realm, panting,
Two Witches met ‘top spires…

Queen’s black flames burst from her skin
And sent curse so wicked none could last,
But Satella sent Deathblow Queen’s way, win
Before curse fully set in achieved, however, blast
Of curse had ill effect, Satella began to feel
As Witch met earth for final time.
Satella collapsed, but over the land
Saw things turning how she wanted them,
Darkly cheerful, many oranges and reds
Bedizened tree heads.

Eyes fin’ly close as she realized…

This was just the beginning.

In her dreams, a little girl sat alone
In the middle of the floor, music box
Playing off pitch notes to send bumps over
Bare skin, and streams from her face ran to lake at her feet.

***
I awake, and it is mourning.