Rebirth [part Vi] Poem by Lum Chabot

Meeting

Returned did he to Seine where sa famille was slain,
Alone was he so none could see shame or disdain
As he slowly went insane, and tears ran down
His sullen face, and abdicated did he the crown,
Both of jewels and gold as ruler of dark world
And of thorns that was forcefully hurled
Into fire that consigned against others’ will
Its martyrs who are then immured in earthly hill.

Most passionate tears created saline
Rivers down countenance, burning caused heart to lean
Out from his chest, to drag to his knees
The mightiest; collapsed to hands as the keys
To vestige- and family inside- were turned
And left to fire- for it burned
All the physical remains of his life:
His home, his daughter, and his wife.

He, as chora, sang laments, joined by loyal
Choir who felt pain emanate from royal
Blood, but once chora lost voice, the rest
Left him to mourn, and mourn did he, left
He forget feeling of aesthetic warmth, now
Phantasm cold, eternal catatonia for love, how
Could he ever recover from disease this?
He wondered, though no answers came… then he met Miss.

He was weeping along by riverside, where daughter used to play.
Days had passed, and days made their way
Into months, and a single word he’d dare not say
Nor move from that spot on the beach; light reflected off the bay
In his lap, when young Miss sat beside him with a sleigh
Full of cheer, thought only few words exchanged: “Miss, may
I ask your name? ”… and after silence he noticed river’s spray.

Daily he saw this young Miss, for She came and She went,
And more and more did he appreciate the time She spent
With him, and slowly conversation grew; soon he
Learned who she was and things common they found to be
Many. Gradually, he noticed more and more about Her
And felt more and more that the blur
In his eyes had a meaning, something he had not seen
When he met her months before he had repeated Her name: Jacqueline.

He did not wish to betray wife’s memory,
But control he had not over heart, though no sensory
Attraction would he display, deeper emotions he hid
To avoid confronting them for all tid,
Though as he tried to hide, his heart held hot desire
To scream how he came to feel about this Miss, though thin was wire
Preventing him from letting Her in, namely
The one to whom She seemed betrothed; for this he felt lamely.

So many things he wanted to tell Her, about how fast he fell,
How fast he gave his heart to Her without Her knowing the hell
Of his past, and how it plagued him now, and how She cures
That horrible plight with just a “hello”, how he’s so sure
That they are meant to be; how he has ne’er seen
Anyone or anything with near the echelon of beauty he’s keen
To see, though others do not grasp fully, and he wonders how
He could be so lucky as to know a Miss as She… to her divinity he bows.

Close friends they remained, as troubles arose
With whom She was betrothed, and who She would choose
Flitted about in his mind beside memories that like wind blows
About; past deeds he did not want to repeat, though feelings compose
Themselves in his heart, orderly and ready for her to know,
But he held those in for hope that her feelings will grow,
And resolved to wait did he… though de noir soliloquy and apostrophe flowed.

Confusion

She knew of Him, but only from afar
Did She see Him, His surface scarred,
But in own life She was preoccupied
For if not at study, time was occupied
By another for who her cares,
Though She is confused if care is shared
In the same manner, though with him
Comfortable She is, and return does she on whim.

Simply talk do the two,
And happier she is talking with Him than in past few
Months with th’other, though of change
She was uncertain, and so friends they remain
While She sifts through heart to find true
Feelings, and possibly see life with a new view,
Though until sure they both agree
That nothing more than friend’s they’ll be.

Distanced from other She soon became,
Apart even from his name,
One spoken with detachment, though not apathy,
There was merely a different feeling, one happy,
Though simply talked by the river Seine
Throughout nighttime, He spoke of past pain;
That pained Her to hear,
Though knowing more helped feelings to clear.

Soon began engaging talk of things
That seemed to be mutual, of the same wing
Common things between the two, upbringing
For one, and both had strong desire to sing,
He even was a minstrel years ago, singing heart’s desirings,
The two even had similar pasts, depressing
As it may seem, it served to tighten their seams.

Childhood memories were shared on that beach,
Though house and cottage they did breach
With surprise at their togetherness,
She surprised by Her own happiness,
And by her fondness of Him, man of mystery,
Before She understood contents of His history
And then She could decision, make,
Even knowing risk, and the toll it could take.

There was a know in the wood plan
That She was stuck on: the other man
Who could not make Her glad
Like he used to; soon-to-be is sad
For what they both knew was on the eve-
Neither at outset had believed
This would happen- The breaking of a heart
To, with newfound happiness, a new life start.

She held fears about the breaking,
Though He remained close to her as She was waking
Th’other up to changed reality, and as rivers ensued,
Grateful to friend was She, for he issued
Solace and warmth, even if only verbally,
For to last remnants of former life He had to see,
And she felt so warm when He promised Her
That She would never have another “were.”

Insane the man went after the break, for through Her veins
He was no longer swimming, and She was given pain
For his conversion, though as a change in wind moves a vane,
Her emotions changed from being fettered by unhappy chains
To being free to scream whoever’s name,
Though new man’s all She wanted to say,
Names no longer a stick, a crutch, a cane.

Fire & Fire [ Ice & Ice]

Future once hoped so secure,
Change at once made Her unsure,
For She wanted not to hurt
Anyone around Her, though curt
Became many of those trusted friends
Who’d promised in past to be there ‘til the end,
But such naïve times are left in the best
Place for Her, and now She may finally rest…

Though little rest did she have, for now naught
Could hold Her from what She thought
She sought, as he was free to be
Anywhere and with anyone he pleased,
Yet She he chose with whom to sit
On the banks of the exuberant Seine, and it
Provided two endeared glittering reflections
Which happily showed them their own affections.

Neither were certain on hearts’ intents,
Though pair did not expect those in tents
Watching their moves with sharpest precision,
To pre-judge and keenly make deadly incisions
To test this amiable duet, like harpies
Testing exiles west of Pyrenees at half-divine parties,
But pair would not stand to be tested,
And promised that without even trying, all others would be bested.

And soon like fire two become, fire
Begetting fire; sweet nothings across mental wires,
Connecting Jacqueline and he above the lairs
And pretenders, inhabiting non-visceral spires,
Ignorant of evening, loving criers’
Sounds from those who were not fore hire,
Unclear about love oh so much higher.


He did not know once he began
Where his heart would steer him, plan
He had not, nor had he full grip
Of what the future held, and feared he’d slip
Into false affection, so reserved he stayed,
Though at the thought of Her name, symphonies played
And resonated in heart long pined,
Soon, he hoped, he’d not have to feel that again.

She was unsure as a flame licking the air
Which direction She would go, and though She admired his unique flare,
Despair She could see behind his eyes,
Which to Her came as no surprise,
Though when together happy was She,
Warm inside, and She secretly hoped that he could see
The depth of Her frozen sea, the glacial floe,
With his eyes he tried to tell her that he knows.

One night for dinner they met, not on the bank
As was custom for them, but no heart sank,
Both savored that night, in fact, simply at the sight
Of the other, and words came to his mouth, but with all his might
He choked them back, and reticent remained
As her family ate, he watched Her and felt no pain,
No memories came to blight his mood;
Not hungry was he for physical food.

Hungry for time… time later that night to
Tell Her his view on what they should do,
And on how his heart feels all through
And through his veins, their colour again blue,
As if She breathed life into him, and he knew,
That as he held Her that night, close to his radiant hue,
He could not keep from saying, “I love you.”

It was spoken in a whisper so delicate
That it would whisk away and abdicate
Meaning if any, but She heard those three
Words, and She forgot how to breathe,
Her heart fluttered in Her chest,
His hand She grabbed and clutched to Her breast…
It was only then that She recalled how to speak,
For up until then She had made not a squeak.

Thus into thought She was lost,
Wondering what he had to pay, the cost
For winning a chance, fallen-divine opportunity
To say his heart: the future scrutiny
From those future mortals of his past,
Though with those words he made Her the last
Denizen of his heart,
A ruler just, kind, and smart.

The fire of love soon spread to lay
Happiness with her, ice soon turned to fire in most graceful way,
But he wished to spill more of his heart to Her,
To tell Her everything he felt… as it were,
He could not tell Her thus,
For fear of sounding just like lust
As that was his intention not,
Only to love and give her aught.

He wanted to tell her following:
“Harrowing inside and out has ceased, hollowing
Halted, since I first laid eyes on thee my wallowing
Has ceased to be; the air my lungs are swallowing
Is made of you, and my hollow wings
Now complete, can fly us far away from here,
To a place where only we can be, my dear.

You’ve swam through my veins and mapped them too,
For I’ve loved you since I first saw you,
Through this maze you traveled to get to host
Of my love, though you knew not until wading on the coast
Of the sea of my dreams; where walls
Enclosed castle with decorous halls,
Meets surreal water, you entered water
And swam past the horizon and past ashes of slaughter.

I swam out to join you, and discovered new plane,
New echelon of love, one with simple plains,
And there you were waiting, on sandy beach,
Where I gave inaudible soliloquy, a speech
To shame classicals, thought you heard through my eyes,
Upwards and backward did I life my face to the skies,
Thought of old castle did I, made out of stone,
And functioned as hollow bones.

Shallow servants of night once resided there,
Narcissus abounded in ladies not so fair,
Though fain was I to show them most historic room,
Bare but for a wall-long mirror in the gloom,
Magic mirror, made the wall portraits change
To whoever looking into the mirror, all range
Of poses, though all were as dolls,
Empty faces, empty eyes, hanging on empty walls.

I turned back my eyes and outstretched my hand,
Together we’d rule ethereal, though I did not demand,
I left the choice to you, and before you knew, you were queen of a land
So made benefited by your feet standing upon its sand,
By your breathing its air into your lungs and
By wearing on a special finger a small band…
All before you had a clue, before any plans.”

He opened his mouth to say these things
But closed it again before his heart could sing
Deepest praise of Her, but he felt She knew
From his hesitation, and She took the cue
Given by taciturn embrace,
Though She could not see his face,
His pounding heart told Her all,
She smiled, for She’d torn down all his walls.

He pulled himself close and smiled,
For in cottage, no wood gave guile
Away to those who might have wandering ears…
Then, She spoke in his arms, and nearly brought tears
To his eyes, for the words She said,
Lying there beside him in comfortable bed…
She looked at him and spoke with grace,
As She pressed a cold hand to his face.

“I love you too, ” was all that he heard, and it rang
In his heart as though sirens sang
The most beautiful of all tunes,
And he was lost there amidst soft lunes,
Though happily he was not lost alone,
For She was there with him- outside wind moaned-
And so the time arrived for Her
To return home… Her eyes blurred.

He walked Her there, and heart-wrenched as stare
Was broken and he was to return to where
He slept, and She back under care
Of guardians dear, though it wears
On their hearts to be apart, ensnared
By each other’s very being, love does not compare
To any other duet’s love out there.

He could not sleep that night;
Dreams came to set him afright,
And She did not sleep well, unfair
To such a Lady, and to lonely pair,
Though when sun arose to grant a new day,
Both were euphoric again they’d say
Those Aurélian words, those so precious three
As they were allowed to be, with each other, free.

The rushed to a meadow, a secluded grove
Where they had decided to express their newfound trove
Of affection, of longing as well,
And when they caught sight, “My beau”, “Ma belle, ”
Sat side by side underneath oak tree,
The only one out of line with verdant sea,
Though it made for the perfect spot to relax,
And eat luxury foods, once encased in wax.

His arm grew a mind of its own
And soon they were lying as the wind moaned
Through the leaves, so closer he moved
To give Her his warmth and to himself, proved
He could be how he hoped he would be,
And as he sheltered Her amidst trees,
The copious droplets brought him to his knees, his hands
She took then and in rain they danced.

From rustling woodline they heard a hiss
Of a snake through branches who nearly missed,
But then all they heard was their breath in a bliss
Which sped up at their hearts’ insist,
For nothing could ever hope to dismiss
The lovers as they shared something which almost ne’er exists,
Straight from their hearts, their souls, a kiss.