The Kelpie and I
Waters deep and dark as night,
What secrets in your depth lie,
Mountains high surround your shoreline.
I walk to the water's edge,
Whether your surface is a veil,
Or a portal to another world I can not tell.
Taking in your landscape I become mystified,
Until a mysterious breeze blows by,
Causing the water's surface to glimmer and shine.
The sound of laughs and giggles reach my ear,
Looking around I see three girls playing in delight and cheer.
I can not deny,
I wanted to join in their play carefree.
One of them must have noticed for she waves hi to me,
Returning her wave she gestures as if to say
"Come here would you? Come here! You have nothing to fear!"
But before I can say yes,
A feeling in despair rises in my chest.
I unfortunately decline,
Resulting in looks of sorrow and regret to appear in their eyes,
Not wanting to see them cry,
I grudgingly turn to home telling them bye.
The next day I return to the loch's shoreline,
Again by the scenery I become mystified,
The breeze blows and again the water glimmer and shine.
Beautiful music reaches my ear,
I turn and spot a fiddler playing near,
He sits on a rock near where the three girls played,
His eyes are closed as he is lost in the tune he enchantingly makes.
I creep closer as quit as I can be,
Still he must have sensed my coming,
For his eyes open and he turns to me,
I become lost in those handsome eyes,
A calm and somberness I never knew I find.
They do more though,
For they seem to speak,
"Come. Please join me."
To him my feet start to carry,
But a feeling of fear rises in me,
Hesitantly and with regret I decline,
In his eyes I can see and hear his reply,
"I am hurt by your decline.
Now my heart is filled with pain.
Tell me. Why, oh why?"
Before I can find an answer to give,
My mother calling my name I hear,
It is dinner time now and I just go,
I turn to head home with tears of sorrow,
For as I go the fiddler no longer plays.
On the third day
I head down to the shore
Mystified I become
The wind bellows,
Again the waters glimmer and shine
But today is still different
This is how I know why,
For instead of a person to meet I see,
A horse galloping in cheer and glee.
Again I can not deny,
I wished to join in,
No feeling of despair or fear rises this time within,
As I arrive,
The horse lets out a neigh as if to say hi,
It bows its head and I see into its eyes.
Like the fiddler's they are enchanting and deep,
As well as seem to speak,
"Oh please, won't you ride me?"
No matter how hard I try
I can not find a reason to deny,
Grabbing its bridle I pet it along its mane,
Filled with joy and pleasure the horse let's out a cry,
He trots around me in victory,
It is quite a sight to see,
I examine my hand, for on it is a substance sticky,
I guess it must be dirty.
I take out one of two gloves my mother made for me,
This I will wear instead when I again pet the stead,
The horse returns and I again pet along its mane,
As I do the substance becomes more sticky until my hand stuck remains.
My glove and hand soon coated I'm unable to get free
The horse turns to me and in its eyes I see,
Malicious intent and my impending demise
With a loud cry the horse dashed to the shoreline.
With me at its side
I continue to struggle to get free
Even as we reach waters waist deep,
With swift thinking and a last attempt
I free my hand leaving the glove were it is,
The horse now chest deep turns in anger at his defeat
Scrambling up the shore I get to my feet,
Turning around our eyes meet,
"It was you,
It was you the whole time,
You're the reason despair rose in my chest,
And I couldn't bring myself to tell the three girls yes.
You caused the feeling of fear
That allowed me not to the fiddler near.
It was you trying to lure me to my demise",
A neigh of anger is his reply,
Even though I have survived,
It is only in the sense I am alive,
For by you I am still mesmerized.
This I can not deny,
To you I will always be,
The one that got away three times,
I am yours and you are mine,
We are forever intertwined.
This is your home; you will not leave,
But it is also mine and I will not bide,
Nor will I make attempts to hide.
Perhaps when I'm old and nearing my end,
I will fully take you up in that ride again.
