Dream Forest Poem by Liz Annson

This is rather long, sorry. It is an extremely odd dream I had...: P

The forest bit
The forest bites
The forest hates
The forest sighs
It chooses one of us to die
And quickly we all come alive

The two suns grinned upon the sky
And within Balah-urdin keep
We watched them as the crow does fly
We watched them as my sister died.

And anything to do but weep?
The forest standing grim and dark
Stands between Balah-urdin keep
And the entrance by the sea.

When the time comes, sad and stark
The forest, caring not a whit
Will let us enter unto murk
But can we leave the hopeless dark?

The forest bit
The forest bites
The forest hates
The forest sighs
It chooses one of us to die
And quickly now, we come alive.

I remember, ten fine months ago
Running, swift-foot, through the fields
She was dealt a mighty blow
And, with poison, soul laid low.

The sickness in her would not yield
I, crying, bravely by her sat
Arcane magics were my field
Even so, her soul did not heal.

The Madame pulled out from her hat
Some trickery: from magic knit
The Eyes of Surdan-Ash-Kalat
We fixed them to my soul, like that.

The forest bit
The forest bites
The forest hates
The forest sighs
It chooses one of us to die
But slowly now, we’re all alive

With the Eyes I fashioned bone
As weary travelers wandered by
I needed strength upon the road
Or on us forest would encroach.

Now four bodies there did lie
Strength to shield us from harm
Now I alone would not abide
With my sister, slowly to die.

Spread out for dead souls a balm
To attract them, those unfit
For death so early, now with a charm,
Back to life they are installed.

The forest bit
The forest bites
The forest hates
The forest sighs
It chooses one of us to die
But were they ever true to life?

The branches, grasping, drew us in
Birch and rock our only friends
Trying under vines to pin
Our hope; also our whim to live

But here our journey will not end
We labored long into the dark
Though further we must go, my friend
To reach the entrance Paladen.

The forest stretched into the dark
And the Eyes could just divine
The distance of this hated park
By reading ancient thoughts of bark.

Six long months we had to labor
Labor long, without a favor

From the Madame of the keep:
For those returned souls she did weep.

The forest bit
The forest bites
The forest hates
The forest sighs
It’s chosen one of us, alive
And soon it comes their time to die.

A sunny day, one month to go
Our shield held against the trees.
Yet a branch laid out companion low
The sunset made his young face glow.

Now we prayed to the Madame: Please!
Ruler of the total realm
From her iron grips release
My friend much loved, my Fallarise.

The Madame; she refused to quell
The sadness we had for our friend
She sent him backwards to the well
Of souls from which I had taken them

But she led us from the dark
Set our feet upon her mark
The next day: see a skylark!

The forest bit
The forest bites
The forest hates
The forest sighs
It’s taken one of us alive
And sent them back, again to die.

We left his body in the forest
As he asked of us to do
Trees and leaves, his final rest
And under time his life is pressed.

Beyond the forest there sits marsh
Foul air and flying pests
The temperature was too harsh
My sister could not keep the march

We carried her, it was a test
On bony, burdened backs we bore
But reaching Paladen was our quest
She came out better than the rest

The forest bit
The marsh now bites
It also hates
And also sighs
It’s chosen one of us to die
But quickly now; the end is nigh.

Just before we escape it’s grasp
The marsh breathes out foul air
And brings below into its clasp
Another soul, the lady Bask.

We struggle back into the world
Crying, weeping for her life
She was a perfect, precious pearl
Now lying tainted in the dirt.

The marshes forced us through great strife
Somehow, though, we made it past.
Now we grieve for another lost life
So close to the haft of the balancing knife.

The forest bit
The marsh did bite
And they both hate
And they both cry
They have each chosen one to die
At least my sister is alive.

Finally the Port town is in sight
And with the eyes I do divine
The Madame’s sad and marvelous might
To diminish in the night

No help to have, for ‘twas a crime
To pull a soul back from the dead
And hope was fading fast with time
My sister’s light failing to shine.

So I pulled out from my head
Thoughts and memories of us
And walking carefully, I tread
Right to the entrance Paladen!

The forest bit
The marsh did bite
And though they hate
And though they cry
They’ve taken two of us to die
And my sister hardly is alive...

I used the Eyes and all my strength
To open up the entrance cold
A mass amount of time in length
It broke me there, it stole my strength

As I lay dying, white and bold
I realized one thing at last
That in this mindless, endless cold
It was the sacrifice that sold!

Look through my Eyes into the past
And wish that the fates doth decree
That my sister’s life will last
Ever longer than that of me!

And notice that the cold release
Will spread across the land and please

The Madame, for her end is nigh
Gone without the strength to cry.

The forest bit
The marsh did bite
I watched them hate
I watched them cry
They’ve taken three of us to die.
One verse is all that’s left alive.

Now there’s three remaining there,
Padding fast towards the light.
Tiptoe now! The end lies near
Footsteps sounding close and clear.

Now, my friends, we will take flight:
Watch as they approach the gate
For the quick and trained eye
Can see my vessel lie nearby.

The gate! The entrance to la Fayte!
The final glowing gates of gold
That heals everything on sight
And cures the all-consuming blight

See her growing wings, so bright?
Now she can chase away the night
And live in the aeternal flight.

The forest bit
The marsh did bite
I knew their hate
I felt them cry
Now they’ve taken me to die
But my sister is alive!