POETRY CORNER
– 10/21/15
Kris Lindbeck
The princess
raised by fishermen
spins salmon scales
into glimmering armor
for an orphan moonThe virtuous son
agrees to marry
the wild-haired witch
who saved his father
from the wicked queenAfter the merchant
paid for her funeral
the beggar woman
comes to him in dreams
and teaches him to flyWaking up
To find that she is old
she dances
hands wielding swords of wind
planting flowers in the airThe third son
split his last sandwich
with a stray dog
who brought him to a fox
with sharp teeth and wise eyesFind the hermit
who lives within the wood
and ask him
where your love has gone
since she was taken by the windOne word in anger
and the witch’s children
fly away as swans
She wanders the world
calling their names to the windA crow arrives
to say the prince will die
unless he finds a girl
with midnight hair
and moonlight eyes
Kris Lindbeck lives in Boca Raton Florida and is an Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, and Comparative Literature. She recently created the hashtag #unknownfairytales on Twitter, where you can find her at @krislindbeck. Stories, legends, and fairytales are important to both her poetic and academic work, and have fascinated her since she was a little girl.
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♣ We welcome and encourage your response especially in the form of short poems. You may reply by leaving a comment below. The Poetry Corner is hosted by Kathabela Wilson.










thanks, dear Kathabela & Kris Lindbeck, for opening our minds to unguessed tales of becoming!!
Thanks Susan . . . I like your phrase “tales of becoming” that is indeed what they are.