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~ By Courtesy of Others ~

 

Grey Lady: A Poem to Hel

The Grey Lady came to the hospital room,
the grown ones feared, unseeing.
The green-eyed boy stared full upon
The Grey Lady as she fed.

Where flesh and pain chained an old man down,
the Grey Lady's touch brought peace.
When her cold fist closed on his beating heart
and laughed as she gave release.

Her flesh was white as the new fallen snow,
Her eyes were the black of Hel
Beauty and terror both cojoined
Trapped him in her dread spell.

Year upon year he searched for her
She found him upon the field
When two men met with blades unsheathed
'twas the other, that time to yield

Grey eyes flashing hunger cold
Green eyes burn with rage
Not today, was the message in her smile
Not today said his wine-dark steel

Year upon year til they met again
As he fought with his every will
To wrest from the Grey Lady's icy hand
A heart that was beating still

She laughed as she touched it, fragile flame
She laughed as he fought and cursed;
She left it still flickering in his grasp
But she whispered she would return

Year upon year they weighed him down
Year upon year she stalked
Came once again to the hospital room
As the green eyes looked to the end

The Grey Lady's smile with the kindness of steel
Black eyes with the pity of Hel;
met green eyes blazing with mad Odin's rage
and the merciless grin of a wolf

She struck in a flash, straight through his flesh
She struck for his soul, for his life
Freed but not slain he rose from his flesh
'gainst the Grey Lady to test his might

Down she struck, like the coming of Night
and up he soared, like the Dawn
Black eyes flashing with the hunger of Hel
Green eyes shining with rage

Flame struck, the Grey Lady screams out her rage
Ice pierced, he screams out his pain
Blow upon blow, ever swifter they strike
Green eyes and Black locked in strife

Moving like dancers, like lovers, like one
till the final blow shocked them both still;
She froze in the moment of victory so sweet
shocked that perfection must end

With his last breath he pulled her against his red wound
with his last beat, kissed her cold lips
I have loved you since ever I saw you, sweet Hel
Of all of my lovers, the best.

The Grey Lady kneels down beside the cold bed
and the corpse of her lover, her foe
Screaming her rage to the pityless night
the Grey Lady ever alone.

© John Mainer  

This work by John T Mainer is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License.

The Freyr's Press of the Heathen Freehold Society of BC:
Kindertales and Kindertales 2 by John T Mainer et al.

Image: "Ghoul", Copyright © Philip A. Cunningham 2005, Cunninghamland, used with permission

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