Four Poems by Holly Payne-Strange

 

Strange Gifts

 

There were many normal things about their story.

She was a princess who lived in an ivory tower,

And he was a lovable rogue with tricks and tools and tall tales to match. 

 

But therein normalcy ended, and strangeness began.

 

Because every week she went to the treasury,

Collected a large pile of riches, and left it there on his doorstep.

 

It was the only communication they had.

 

And then she would go back, to her kind and loving family,

Weaving tapestries, embroidering whispers. 

Sometimes she had to sell her wares, just to afford his gifts.

She had no idea what he did.

 

She was too focused on selecting the perfect rubies

And crafting the sapphire crown

She planned to give him the next week.

 

Sometimes people asked her why.

Laughed at her for false hope,

For ‘wasting’ her money,

The same reckless mistake, made over and over again.

 

But that’s why she did it.

 

She did it precisely because she had no idea where it would lead.

She found the pleasure of letting go was so sweet

She had to keep going back for one more bite.

 

And as people became more and more confused,

She found it funnier and funnier.

The idea that she might have some secret, master plan

Was so ridiculous, it made her laugh, late into the night.

 

She had no idea what she was doing.

 

She liked that feeling.

Wind Whipped Waves

I swear I saw it,

A sea serpent, cresting above the wind whipped waves,

Diving down, into the dappled deep.

 

I was so excited, I sat for hours and hours,

Hopelessly hoping

For one more morsel.

A singular sighting was not sufficient.

 

And as I waited, I wondered;

What he does down there,

In the unending ocean?

 

Is he lonesome, listlessly loitering,

Pining for a pretty and playful pal?

Does he sleep sufficiently, snatching naps

Wherever he can, dodging dangers

That threaten even him?

Should he sleep, does he dream?

Does he dream of dancers, of dragons like him,

Of waterlogged waltzes,

And magic to set him free?

Or are they vicious visions,

Biting at his bones and braying for his blood?

 

I hope he has

Enough to eat.

 

When next he returns,

I will procure him a picnic

See if smiles and patient promises

Can persuade him to pause,

To sit in silence,

Studying the sun soaked sea.

 

Until then, I will wait

Calm and contented,

Happy just to know

What lingers in the deep.

No Ordinary Man

 

Once upon a time

There was a man.

Well, he wasn’t really a man, he was a dragon.

But he was too shy to tell anyone.

 

Occasionally, his shadow betrayed him,

Fluttering with rubies, sapphires, diamonds

In a way no ordinary person  

Would ever achieve.

 

It was easy to ignore though,

To explain away as some hiccup

An anomaly not to be seen again.

Because surely, he was just a man,

He reassured onlookers.

 

Pearls fell from his lips

Hastily coughed into a napkin

Just so the others

Didn't have to be frightened

Of his long and vicious claws.

 

The people were so impressed

At what they could see,

At the glimpses of a glittering facade,

The mortal with the jewel encrusted shadow

That they gathered close.

Too close.

A step closer and they would see…

And the dragon couldn’t have that.

 

And so he ran and flew and hid

Replaying the cycle in village and town

All over the world.

 

Until he came across a river.

The river was fooled for a little while.

After all, he spoke like a man,

Walked like a man.

It was a pretty good impression.

But she could hardly miss

The way the sunlight glinted on his topaz tongue

Or how his eyes were

-Clearly-

Two opals, a marriage of fire and sparkles.

 

Of all her long years flowing through forest and glade,

She had never seen anything

Quite so remarkable

As a dragon hidden

In plain sight.

 

She smiled and he ran,

Fearing again what would happen

If he was ever truly seen.

But this river was long and winding,

And so extensive it was inevitable they would meet again.

That he would be thirsty, wanting and craving her, again.

She had that effect on dragons.

 

And when he returned, she knew better this time.

Knew not to gawp,

To wink instead, to admire quietly. 

To bubble with words

He wouldn’t mind so much.

Allowing his silence,

Glorying in his golden smile,

Talking instead about herself

Updates on her favourite waterfalls,

Her placid lakes

And cooling brooks.

 

And he, for his part,

Learned to accept 

Her rush of affection.

Her admiration for amethyst and thirst for him.

Learned even to enjoy it,

Though he made her promise never to tell.

And when she agreed he knew

He wanted to give her all the world.

Even if that included gem covered fangs

And wings too gilded to move.

If she was crazy enough to want it…

 

But still, it wasn't exactly easy,

Being a dragon.

Not when all the world around you

Seemed one way and you the opposite.

The river had never particularly cared about this.

She avoided cities, and people

Diving, as she did, deep into the earth,

Racing towards oceans of impossible depth.

But she understood, in an abstract way.

And that was enough

For compassion.

 

It took a long time.

The river was, in some senses, terrifying

Offering, as she did, a perfect and achingly clear 

Reflection

Of all his flaws and attributes both.

 

He worried he’d hurt her

That his shadow was too dark, too heavy.

That he was

Wrong.

Somehow still unfit for civilized company.

That his breath was too hot,

His scales too hard.

Calmly, she shook her head,

Giggling, as her water boiled,

Smirking, as he swam with her,

No harm at all to his hardened hide.

 

So finally he trusted her,

Seeing, against his better judgment,

That she could see him.

And if she ran

It was only with the excitement

Of fish and leaves, and little twigs

Carried away on the grandeur

Of nature.

He took the risk.

Breathing deep, covering her in shadow.

In that rich embrace

She had yearned for

Ever since they’d first met.

 

Now the river rushes on,

Unburdened by the weight of beauty.

She smiles these days, all the time.

And together they rest,

Abundant and free.

 

Disappear Diamond

 

I saw the Black Prince Ruby, gleaming on his chest.

And then, I couldn’t look away.

Framed with smoke,

Hazy with greed made shadow.

I never knew it was so perfect, an unblemished passion

That glitters and cries as he walks.

 

He is beauty beyond reason.

 

I followed him even as my feet bled

Stumbling, unconcerned, over rock and root.

My clothes now muddy and torn

Rain only a distraction from his silent grace.

He walks into the darkness

Earth shifts beneath my feet

Cerberus howls in the distance.

 

I’m so happy.

 

I can’t explain why,

Especially as he takes and takes and takes,

Not even looking at me.

Sun and sadness erased

Everything surrendered

And memory fades.

 

I wouldn't

Change him

For all

The world.

Holly Payne-Strange (she/her) is a novelist, poet and podcast creator. Her writing has been lauded by USA Today, LA weekly and The New York Times. Her  next novel, All Of Us Alone, will be a recommended read for Women Writers, Women’s Books in December 2023.  She’s had her poetry published by various groups including Door Is A Jar magazine, In Parenthesis, Quail Bell Magazine, and will soon be featured in Academy Heart, among others. She would like to thank her wife for all her support.