The following piece is something I wrote for a romance contest with a subject of "Wisdom of the Faun." I would just like it to be known that I do not choose the subjects and I do not believe in the mythical goat-man creature. I did, however, have a lot of fun writing this piece, as challenging as it was, and hope that you will enjoy it as well.
Hidden Between Branches
For the last seven years, they all skipped through the forest, while I, my earth tones a mere background to their oblivious sight, watched on silently. Now, I tire of my role as silhouette and rest beneath the grandfather elm.
hopeful lovers dance
under dryad scrutiny
lonesome faun unseen
An arrogant waif skips by and turns his head occasionally to see if his naive victim is still picking daisies in his trail. With a deep sigh that is often mistaken for a breeze, I stretch my legs and watch him trip, landing face first on the sooty ground. He searches, red-faced, for a rock or fallen branch to have been the culprit. Some would laugh, but not me. I've seen it too many times. I simply shake my head and chew on another grapevine, while the damsel runs worriedly to his rescue.
maiden in distress
easily raises her skirt
morning light snickers
An oversized elm leaf drifts to the ground. A rainbow dances over its dew-soaked surface and I watch the vision form in its veins:
Some pin their songs of romance to the treetops and the birds sing in harmony. Some loosely paste loss to the forest floors and the willow dips and sways to their unsteady heartbeats. Still, some toss a whirlwind of lusty dreams into the sunny skies and I feel sorry for them. Tonight they'll be pasting heartache to the forest floors by starlight.
ancient wisdom cries
promise only patience keeps
few hear and less heed
Yet, here am I and not one of them can hear my soul song. Another elm leaf hovers over my head until the breeze loses its hold. Then it falls, like fate, into my lap. Autumn is nowhere near. I look up to find a sky-blue silhouette. It smiles knowingly down at me.
earth kisses the sky
sunrise born between branches
hopeful lovers dance
This is Excellent. I got alot from this. 7 years is along time but a time of perfection and completion. Even the braches of the forest and the elm and the wind have to bare witness to the righteousness and patience of one who embraces real Love. Love is interesting to me. It really has a way of finding people when they least expect it.. Well anyway I got many revelations from this as far as my relationship with Christ,My Love . Thank You and keep up the great works.
Exquisite writing! Your imagery here is just breathtaking, beckoning the reader into a wondrous, unseen world. I love “toss a whirlwind of lusty dreams into the sunny skies” and “pasting heartache to the forest floors by starlight.” But your ending is perfect: “pin a lasting song deeply into the elm.” I’m hooked!
The haiku are so precise, graceful, haunting, carrying the story along beautifully.
I think you’re headed toward true greatness as a writer of romance! Can’t wait to see where this piece goes once it gets some public recognition!
Wow, Treava that was beautiful. I can see the scene unfolding and wish I could be there to actually "see" it. Congrats on the magazine. Sounds like just the beginning for you girl.
