Castle In The Woods

Castle In The Woods Such a balmy day it was So I went for a stroll Slowing down then I pause To watch a furry mole Continued on the dirt road I stepped into a hole Out jumped a brown toad And then a black bird crowed Up ahead was a wood Aged trees so big around I Would hug them if I could None bigger anywhere to be found Entering the forest by a grassy knoll There out of a bluish mist Ran a wispy bluish troll Startled my ankle did I twist The forest was so thick and shaded By the big, old trees I had to walk aided By the buzzing bees Into the woods I went some more Thicker and darker it became I think I came to the very core So deep in the woods I forgot my name Suddenly all was quiet in the forest glen Not a leaf did flutter Nothing moved, not robin or wren Not one sound did they utter I saw a drawbridge over a moat Connected to a castle door On the water nothing did float Now I needed to see more The castle wall was made of stone As far as I could tell The castle was over grown With vines and there was a tower bell The tower stood so tall and lean I couldn't see the top Wondered if it housed a queen Waiting for her head to drop The castle looked foreboding As I walked across the moat The drawbridge was corroding This cause a lump in my throat What if I should chance to fall In the water below? Who would hear my frightened call And help on me bestow? I made it to the castle door Without an incident The open door I couldn't ignore It wasn't a coincident It beckoned me to enter in I did at my own risk Goose bumps appeared on my skin My steps were very brisk Inside the foyer I stood quietly Adjusting my eyes to the light Waiting to see what I would see I was not prepared for the sight Every inch was covered with dust Webs spun by spiders long dead All the metal was covered with rust Whoever lived here just fled I made my way to the tower room To see who was inside It could well be someone's tomb And that I could not abide The door creaked as it swung open wide I scanned the room with my eye With relief I wiped my brow and sighed No one in here did die A spinning wheel stood there alone In the middle of the round tower room Dried leaves in the window had blown While sinking feelings did loom I searched the rooms one by one They were empty and dusty all I kept searching I wasn't done There was one more room down the hall Her head lay on a pillow of silk The bed was solid gold Her skin was white as milk When I touched her she wasn't cold I kissed her mouth She opened her eyes My mind went south It was such a surprise "Thank you for waking me ,she said with a smile Thank you for making me free I've been waiting all this while For someone to come and kiss me" Birds began singing, flora turned green All life returned to the land Dust disappeared and the castle is clean The maiden and I walk hand in hand There is a castle in the woods hidden deep With a drawbridge and vines all around The way to the castle is a secret I'll keep This castle will never be found. Copyright © 2005 Lunaria (Lila May Guptill)