The Box (a tromp through the woods)

A tromp through the woods behind our house on a snowy evening...

I know this vid doesn't quite match the visuals the poem may inspire. I only hope it doesn't interfere. It serves as a visual back-drop to this poem I wrote about 11 years ago.

Showcasing my poetry is new to me on YouTube. So is everything on YT actually. Even though I have been on here well over a year, I have only been making videos 2 months. So I tried sitting and reading the poem to the camera. Booooor-ing! I just stared at the paper, read it and never looked up. So I did a compilation of photos for the last poem video, Mists of Heather. That sort of worked, but now on to this one.

I wrote this poem in about 5 minutes upon waking from a dream. I grabbed pen and paper by my nightstand and wrote it down exactly like you see below. Never changed a thing. Let me know what you think. And, if you have ideas for better ways to showcase poetry, let me know. I need a new computer with an upgraded operating system before I get too fancy with the vids. But, I long for the day I can be more creative and use my new camcorder!

Maybe these poems will be revisited then.

Oh, I zoom in on a beaver lodge on the far side of the pond. But it just looks like a snow-covered lump!


The Box

The prince removed, from a shelf on the wall
A carved ivory box, barely 5 inches tall
He studied the work, traced each line with his hand
Felt that the workmanship, was unknown to man

The corners were golden, trimmed with the sun
Each hinge was a masterpiece, second to none
But in spite of the hinges, the clasp and the pin
It baffled the prince, which way to get in

For days, many months, he struggled and tried
To open it up, to see what's inside
But the box, it eluded, the answer lay hid
In mindless determination, he tried the small lid

It never occurred that he use any tool
Somehow he knew, like some unwritten rule
That his hands and his heart would open the prize
He'd researched and asked, the old and the wise

Many had told him to set the box down
To handle it not, or to sell it in town
To pack it away, let it gather much dust
Forget silly notions, ignore them, he must

A plan was devised, to help the prince sleep
The small box was stolen, and buried quite deep
In the moss covered garden, near a wall of decay
The priests of the castle, hid it safely away

When it's absence was noticed next morn, by the prince
He refused to eat, take no sustenance
The wise men were baffled, their plan had back-fired
The once handsome prince, now grew haggard and tired

Many days passed, and he seemed to go mad
Wandered the gardens, empty and sad
Till one day a shy child, of the gardener's wife
Took the hand of the prince, and saved the man's life

She had seen the priests, watched where they'd hid
The small ivory box, with the unyielding lid
Together they dug, his soul barely living
The child gave him strength; she was loving and giving

Nestled in linen, he found it that day
Pulled it up from the grave, and wept in dismay
For the gold had all tarnished, from days of neglect
The ivory was muddied, close on inspect

The clasp seemed broken, even though he tried
It still wouldn't give way, its secret safe inside
Tears flowed from his eyes, as he looked at the child
She wiped them away, and tenderly smiled

"My prince your tears will open the box"
She spoke as she wiped them at once on the lock
Quite effortlessly, as a feather in wind
The stubborn box opened, no contents within

At least none that was seen when you looked inside
But the prince's eyes widened, saw the face of his bride
And several small children, his parents, and others
The soft, tender faces of sisters, and brothers

For you see many years of politics and war
Made this gentle man harden, emotions a chore
Daily his duties had enveloped his life
Till no feelings were there, not for children, or wife

Then the box had appeared on the shelf in the hall
Held the love that he'd lost, but had not lost at all
The prince was elated, turned to thank the child
She was not to be found, only bracken gone wild

He searched every inch, by the gray castle wall
Then replaced the small box, on the shelf in the hall
The child wasn't real, the gardener had said
Their only daughter, was long ago dead

'She'd died in the garden, lost her step on the wall
A loving, beautiful child missed by us all'
So the prince changed his life, and once again loved
He knew he'd been visited by an angel from above

A small, shy cherub, had watched over his soul
Gave him back his life, made love his new goal
The prince became king, as time marched on
And all people said, he was kindly and strong

At the start of each day, the king pondered the box
On the shelf in the hall, with the green, tarnished lock
He'd send a swift prayer, to the cherub above,
That sweet little child, who showed him where to find love

by RavenSky

June 30, 1996

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• ravensky23
• poem
• poetry
• The
• Box
• walking
• through
• the
• woods
• on
• snowy
• evening

[SAUNDERSacts2618]

That was very pretty!

[ravensky23]

Thanks for watching and listening to my poem. Glad you enjoyed it!

[MSWmson]

Absolutely beautiful writing.

[ravensky23]

Ahh, renewing your vows in Scotland, what a dream come true. We have always wanted to travel to Scotland. My husband, Rafe, (TimberGeek on YouTube) has a Scottish/English heritage and we've talked about visiting a lot. It will have to wait until we can gather some money together, which in this economy looks rather bleak! No, my poem has never been published. None of them have. I'm not opposed to the idea, just never pursued it. Until I posted it on YouTube only a handful of people had heard it.

[ravensky23]

Exactly! :-)

[abominableangel]

kind of like the bayeux tapestry?

[abominableangel]

i too was handfasted back in 2006 we're thinking of renewing our vows perhaps up i scottland.. my mothers home land.. ive never been and that seems a crime to me so i must make good..lol.. btw a friend of mine called smith haha no joke wants to know if that poem has ever been published haha the silly thought id written it ..wish i had but if it hasnt been published, consider it, he works for a news paper so he may be able to help you there

[ravensky23]

Thank you for your kind words, Jill. I would encourage you to make some videos of your poetry. I get a lot of nice comments from the few I have done, even the darker ones from the time when my son passed. I'm glad Danni shared my poem with her friends. Thanks for watching.

[ravensky23]

Thanks, Steve, glad you liked it! Thanks for subbing too. :-)

[ravensky23]

Hi Danni, thanks for sharing my poem with your friends. It's out here to share! Glad to see a lot of your friends are Pagan and Wiccan. I met my husband WAY back in 1995 in the IRC chatroom, Wicca! He and I were handfasted in 1997. Blessed be!