Lost Under a Golden Song

beneath the Banyan tree

fairies dance to King Orochi’s harp

but Kijimuna creeps closer

and the demon slips inside

to quiet whispers,

whispering into her dreams

when she wakes

cherry blossoms weep for her

caution skates away

and samurai drowse

beneath canopies gleaming golden,

gold harp-song of Orochi

but she—

she is gone

far beyond the roots of

the Banyan tree

twilight is toppling, rushed,

brushed with tempests

*

years fall by—

*

Orochi's grief

muted by neglect

becomes clothed in a cascade

of sullen notes

before fairies pass by, hunting,

a’hunting their favorite prey

unnoticed by Orochi

the flotsam of a woman

unbound

washes ashore—

a queen once,

once loved by a king

Author's Note: This poem is based on the legend of Sir Orfeo, but I wanted to add a Japanese flair and tragedy to it, and so added kijimuna, which are small wood sprites, and named the king Orochi, which is an eight-headed serpent from Japanese mythology.