Scaly slate wings entomb;
morbid fear rank;
visions blurred by despair-
my father’s empire.
Manacled, powerless
an involuntary accomplice;
Mother’s words attempt to assuage
Her eyes scream: “Run!”
Rigidly erect the Emperor
regards us condescendingly:
sneering, denying culpability
while the dragon’s tail tightens its grip.
Prisoner of this desolate reality
I shrivel, and decline
withdrawing inward
my flame an imperceptible smouldering.
Until a whispering of possibility
planted deep within the rubble
pushes upwards, grows silently
constructing, perfecting armour.
Life or death uncertain
I face the tyrant
Call him out and hold steady
Against the roaring of the beast.
Time and perseverance
Slay the ungodly
reducing omnipotence,
to pitiful pleading for mercy.
Welcoming the sunshine
embracing peace
and personal freedom,
I grant him forgiveness
and pray from my place
of solitude and healing
that my perceived oppressor
will, one day, forgive me.
retracting
shrivelled at my feet
begging for forgiveness
pining for kindness
disbelieving heart.
One Woman's Quest 