Piccaso's White Dove

There was a prince of precious stones,

His worth beyond great measure,

Who asked me once to build a box

In which to hold his treasure.

I built the box of cherry wood

(It was my greatest pleasure,)

And on it I inscribed his name

In golden hand carved letters.

And in the box, crafted oh so fine,

I placed a single feather,

(A gift from a magical snow white dove,)

Then bound it all in soft brown leather.

(The feather that I, speak of now

Is no ordinary plume,

For it comes from the wings of a magical bird

Who’s seen only by the light of the moon.)

Her nest is so high, on a mountain, near the sky,

On an island where no man has been,

And if you heard her sad song, to the heart of the world,

You’d think you have died and entered a dream.

For no man has heard such dear longing and love

As the one who has heard this sweet bird,

Who searches broad land, oceans, heavens above

For her beloved, the heart of the world.

How she longs to be near

The great heart of the world,

Who posseses every beauty and grace,

And ne’er shall she tire,

For her love burns like fire

Likewise her devotion and faith.

So I waited all night

At the sea, by moonlight,

For this dove to come quench her dry throat.

I sat there so quietly,

‘Till she landed beside me,

Franklin Carmichael

And asked why my poor heart was broke.

I told her I needed a token of faith

A symbol of love that is pure,

She reached in her breast and pulled out one small quill,

Then took flight and was seen never more.

Now this I did carefully place in his chest,

With his name carved so finely, in gold,

That he may remember,

The rarest of treasures

Is a heart that is perfect and whole.

But when my prince saw

The gift I had made,

He forgot everything that he knew,

His heart was enflamed,

He was seized with hot anger,

And destruction was all he could do:

In a fit, he raised it high,

Smashed it down, before my eyes,

And said “this is what should be done to you!”

Then he threw it all down,

Like trash upon the ground,

His hatred swelled in waves, like the tide.

And it seemed that he would never

Finish venting his displeasure,

And my heartbreak would go on and on forever.

When from the East there stirred a wind

So gently, no one heard,

And silently it carried away

The white feather from my magical bird.

Only then, I realized

With shock and surprise

That what for me, was a gift of love

To him was sore despised.

But silently I bore his wrath

Nor did I once complain,

For love requires no explanation

When it comes to another's pain.

But as the seasons came and went,

And o’er the mountains a hundred suns set,

The burning anger now full spent

Was replaced with sad regret.

And then one day he came to me, and sadly did lament:

"Oh how I wish I had once more,

My treasure box, just like before,

I rue the day my anger burned,

And stole away what cannot be returned!”

“I would, I would, be oh so pleased

If you’d grant me this one small request;

To build it again, with your own two hands

My broken treasure chest!

And I shall keep it ever near -

And it shall be my pleasure,

For when love hath mended that which broke,

Then, perhaps, I shall find my white feather."

So, with patient care,

And filled with hope

I set my heart to the task,

Rebuilding that which had been lost,

(Even better than the last!)

I combed the countryside for wood,

I searched both high and low,

For the most beautiful tree, with broad green bright leaves

In a grove where bright cherry trees grow.

I spent long days designing it,

And carved it, oh! So carefully,

I worked on it both day and night

And never did I weary.

I carved birds in flight,

And pomegranates bright,

And dolphins leaping out of the sea.

Twelve roses in bloom,

(And with the bit of extra room,

I carved grape vines in clusters of three.)

Then into a flame

I cast my last two golden rings,

And overlaid the whole box with gold leaf.

And with delicate letters,

In the center of it all,

I carved his name, most exquisitely.

Now all that was missing,

Was the feather I’d been given,

By the elusive, white magical dove.

Perhaps, I surmised, when I give him his new box,

He’ll know that I had no evil goal.

And though the feather might be missing,

In my heart I was a’ wishing,

He would cherish and remember, in his soul,

That the rarest, special treasure,

The only thing that lasts forever,

Is a heart that is perfect, pure and whole.

And this gift, made with my hands,

Would help him understand,

That true love is like a jewel that can’t be sold.

But is given with full measure

From one person to another ,

As a token of how much that one is treasured.

And at last I was prepared,

(Although very, very scared,)

To go see my precious prince,

And deliver this, my gift.

I was filled with trepidation,

(For he might have changed his mind,)

And, if he broke it all again,

I’d unquestionably die.

So I sent ahead a message,

Asking him to give a sign:

“If my gift you still desire,

Then, when your servants all retire,

Light a lamp to burn so bright

That I may see it, late at night.

And, then, if you wish it yet from me,

In the North tower window, please,

Place two small candles burning brighly, left and right.

But if you’ve changed your mind,

Then, please, be ever so kind,

And do set another sign:

One small candle, in the center,

Which will say that you remember,

And although you cannot take it,

You know how hard I worked to make it,

(And you recognize the love that’s there

And recognize I truly care.)

And, so, every night, thereafter

I rode past, upon my steed,

With the moon so high above me,

And all the kingdom fast asleep.

And each night, I rode back home, alone

With my small heart crushed, and wholly broke,

For not a single glowing candle

In the Northern tower shone.

And like waves that crash against the reef,

My heart dissolved into the sea.

“It cannot be! It cannot be!

It must be some mistake!

For how could he have asked of me,

To work so hard in vain?”

“I don’t accept, I don’t believe,

That he would just forget,

His broken hearted pleading

Made with heartfelt deep regret.”

“Does he not remember, did he already forget,

That he himself had asked of me

To grant him this request? “

“It cannot be! It cannot be!”

I repeated to myself,

As night by night I circled back

'Just once more', to check.

Until one night, to my surprise,

And to my great dismay,

He sent his watchmen after me,

With these words to convey:

“Command the treacherous villainess

To cease and to desist!

I demand she leave this hillside now,

She’s not wanted, loved, or missed!”

Speechless, shocked, without a sound,

I dismounted from my steed,

And followed the guardsmen through the gate,

And saw them lock it after me.

And as I rode silent, along,

Under the starless midnight sky,

Hot tears flowed freely from my eyes,

I felt as if I had died.

I could not understand the words,

Nor comprehend the lies.

I rode for days,

Without food or drink

I rode on, without a how or a why.

I passed through the river

And crossed over yon hills

Riding deep into the far country side.

I rode on alone,

My heart was a stone,

All my tears were full spent, and now dry.

For all I believed in,

And all that I knew,

And everything I held to be true,

Lay shattered in ruins,

It was all a great lie,

There was nothing left for me to do.

And as day became night

And darkness overtook light

I stayed there, as if in a trance.

The sun and the wind

Beat against my raw skin

And the rain pounded hard against my back

          The sun rose and set

                                                                                                    In it's course over the mountains,

My eyes took in the world,

Yet I recognized nothing.

And I gazed unto the earth,

That had given me birth

And which  called me now back  once again.

Dropping softly to the ground,

In a heap, without a sound,

I set my face back to the earth from whence I came .

And as I drift in troubled sleep,

Restless dreams took hold of me,

 

Forests filled with evil beasts

Lurking sly, behind dark trees....

And as I drew my final breath

My small heart ceased to beat,

My life passed quick before my eyes,

It had been a sweet sad dream

And as darkness closed around me

And I was hurled  towards the edge of eternity

An image appeared on the horizon,

A snow white dove, speeding swiftly towards me.

                                                                                                                                      

As she neared, from far away,

I recognized my  dove

Come to witness the transformation 

Of a heart that was broken with love.

And as she passed me, Oh, so high,

Winging gracefully ‘cross the sky

A small white feather floated down

Made its way to where I lay

Now dead upon the ground.

But the oddest thing then, did occur,

I still have trouble finding words,

For as it landed on my chest

The gentle feather pierced my breast.

It entered deep into my heart,

And ripped my whole insides apart.

Erasing everything I know,

Unraveling those ties that made me whole.

And next moment lightening quick,

Life entered and my blood flowed swift!

Heartbeat quickened in my chest,

And all at once I drew sharp breath.

And with a breath , I shed my burdens

Likewise my heartache and distress,

I left these all behind as well,

Soaring free, through the crack of hell.

And because I'd died for want of love,

I was transformed into a dove,

And charged to roam the Earth and sky,

Gathering  all the brokenhearted sighs

And carrying  them all   to the heart of the world

Native American Woman Smudging

Who possesses such great love,

As to  heal and make whole

Every  spirit that has withered,

Every heart that has been broke.

And thus I did continue, to roam the wide blue world

Until one day I spied my prince,

Strolling, thoughtful through the woods.

 His thoughts were written on his brow,

Reflections on the past,

And how he'd come to understand

The  things that truly last.

And from him broke a sigh so deep

It pierced the heavens above,

And reached all the  way  into my heart,

'Twas the sigh of remembered love.

For over time that prince had grown,

And come to realize,

That true love, given with pure heart,

Is rare, and must be prized.

Likewise he'd come to understand

Just what he meant to me,

And what his jaded, angry heart, then,

Couldn't possibly have seen.

That in my heart and in my soul,

There was no selfish goal,

But to give to him my only gift-

A heart that's pure and whole.

And all of this, without a word,

Was spoken in one sigh,

And in the  thoughtful wise expression,

And the sadness in his eye.

And I....

As I passed   overhead

Loosed one fine soft white feather,,

Which pierced my prince right through the heart,

Transforming him forever.

For when my arrow found it's mark,

And penetrated deep,

His mortal skin began to peel

Awakening him from  from his sleep.

And what lay beneath his roughened, outer  skin

At once became revealed:

 Precious stones of every sort,

Rarely seen by anyone,

Unique and dazzling priceless gems,

All glistening in the sun.

And then I sent one last gentle quill,

Watched it float down towards the ground.

Then he looked up high, caught my eye, and  smiled;

For what was lost had now  been found.

And what he'd searched for, oh, so long,

Most rare and precious treasure,

Now landed gently in his outretched palm,

My gift, a snow white  feather.

I kept on flying towards the sea,

My small heart,

Free, forever.