RESCUE by Ruth Calder Murphy

Rescue

I’ve made it

through the tangled, thorny forest

where the bodies of would-be victors lie,

all glow-in-the-dark bones

beneath the full-moon sky.

I’ve made it through passwords

and riddles,

traps and duals,

kicks and slaps and ridicule,

Rumplestiltskin dancing, mocking

on piles of spinning wheels,

pricking my fingers on the greed of kings.

I’ve made it through curses

and evil spells,

avoided  bottomless wishing wells

and ingratiating wolves -

and here I stand,

battered and bruised for sure,

bleeding, tired and sore -

but hale and hearty and strong, 

with plenty of fight in my body and mind -

and with my sights 

set.

The castle is quiet and dark and still

in this middle of the night,

and the drawbridge is down.

I leave my sword in its sheath -

I know all the dragons 

and they’re on my side -

and climb the spiral stairway 

to the highest tower,

growing wings 

as I climb and casting off 

years of fears 

and caution 

and stealth.

The topmost chamber door’s flung wide.

I’m here, and ready 

to rescue Myself.

* * *

(This poem first appeared in the author's recently released poetry collection Dance of the Phoenix).

Ruth Calder Murphy is a creative artist, music teacher, wife and mother living in London, UK. Her life is wonderfully full of creativity and low-level chaos. She is the co-author of two published novels, The Scream and The Everlasting Monday, as well as The Dance series of poetry, which consists of seven volumes to date. More of Ruth's spiritual poetry can be found in her book, Spirit Song and the soon-to-be-released sequel, "River Song". She is passionate about celebrating the uniqueness of people, questioning the unquestionable and discovering new perspectives on old wonders. You can visit Ruth and view more of her art on her website, or on her writer's page on Facebook. All her books are available on Amazon, here.

*For submission guidelines, click here