12/20/12

Modern Fairy Tale
By Amanda Marie Breton


As I walk through the freshly fallen snow
enjoying the scene before me
(but disappointed it is only a dusting),
I do not see the ice that has hidden itself in a guise of snow.

Step by step I get closer to the trap
which has been laid by many a melted snowfall before.
A spot lies exposed and glistens in the sun,
but, I do not heed the warning.
As soon as my foot touches the frozen snare
it flies out from under me.
Now I lie on the frozen ground
with pure white snow falling around me;
the festive snowflakes mock my every attempt at breath.
A moment later they are not so innocent:
tainted with the deepening crimson that encircles me.

As I lay here dying I wonder
if the previous breath would be my last.
How could I be so foolish?
So absorbed in my own thoughts
that I did not see what lie before me.

My toes are numb now; I am shivering.
Death is imminent. I can see it now.
It is mimicking me.
In an instant it changes form to the one I adore.

Masked Death comes before me
and reaches out a loving hand.
I gather all my remaining strength
and put forth my weak hand
trembling with the last bit of a short life.
Ours fingers almost touch
when cruel Death pulls away
and deforms your beautiful face
with his morbid laugh.

He, in my dying moment, reminds me
of what can never be now.
He sees my anguish and shows me
what could have been between us.
Oh the horror! Why is Death so cruel?
In my dying moment, when you alone
Should have been on my thoughts,
I see images of what will be.
He shows me all the pain my death afflicts on you,
But how you moved on so quickly
lying in another’s arms, exhausted with pure joy.

It stings my heart just enough
to keep me alive a few moments longer.
Tears freeze on my face and
I wither like the old tree beside me.
Death’s laughter rings in my head,
filling my mind with hatred.
I cannot bear the thought of losing you.

With my last breath, the last bit of life that I can muster up,
I fight off hate and bitter feeling.
I do not want to be extinguished like this.
I imagine your kiss one last time
like I have done a thousand times before
waiting for you to make the dream a reality.

I can feel your soft lips upon mine
giving me the first of many yet to come.
It is gentle, yet full of passion.
Our eyes are closed, and,
even though we are outside in January,
we are not affected by the cold, wet snow.

Nothing can chill us.
Nothing can come between us.
The moment we both have been
anticipating has arrived.
It is so beautiful.

Tears of joy stream down my face;
a moment before I was nervous,
but now I am filled with complete happiness.
The dream goes more quickly than it comes.

The last thing on earth I felt
is the warmth of your lips.
Everything is perfect in that dream.
It brings me some warmth even now
as I lay buried in the cold ground.
Snow has covered my freshly dug grave
and my headstone is draped with snow.
I hear a soft tread above me and the crunch of snow.
I waken to see who is kind enough to pay a fool a visit.
It is you, my beloved, you are here to visit!
I can see you move toward my headstone
and brush the snow off with a gentle but firm hand.
My bones shiver when I see
a tear run down your face
and fall to the ground.

I want to speak out to you
but bones cannot speak.
I try in vain to open my casket
but it is futile.
I am trapped here forever
and cannot comfort you.

Even though I am gone,
I can feel your pain
and I am in anguish
that my stupidity caused it.

You are radiant and so beautiful.
I want to touch but cannot
for I am but a ghost,
a shadow of the person I once was.
The person you loved ceased to exist,
yet here you are at my tomb
eyes filled with tears.

You kneel down by my graveside
and kiss the engraved name on my tombstone.
I can feel your kiss.
Even though I no longer have a face,
I can feel your lips upon mine.
I feel warmth again though
I am a specter.

Death has lost his battle,
for he was envious of you and I
and tried to keep us apart in vain.
Even Death is overcome
by true love’s first kiss.


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Amanda is a student at Johns Hopkins University working towards a Masters of Science and Medical Writing. She has written for publications including The Mount Holyoke News, The Montague Reporter, and Encyclopedia of Earth. She has a deep love for science, and in her spare time she writes poetry and fiction pieces.