The Dove

The Dove

The joke: of true love, swallow is the bird.
The Raven’s true love was in fact a dove.
(At any rate, for swallow, was too large.)
In nature, non-enchanted, was this dove.
Her beauty rivaled that of any bird.
White feathers, lovely. Eyes, as doe’s, were black.
Her beak and feet, were blossoms peach in hue.
She walked demure among the temple birds.
Audacious peacocks with their feathers fanned.
Dove’s understated elegance compared.

In temple, lounged on bed, reclined to eat.
Athena’s bowl, with berries, it was filled.
From magick gardens, ate enchanted fruit.
Among them, strange in taste: the schisandra.
Picked from those trees in Asia’s northern clime.
Her careless hand knocked one from bowl to ground.
The berry rolled down steps to temple halls.
Dove strode through temple, with the other birds.
Enchanted fruit, our dove did see at feet.
As birds will peck at ground to eat a seed.
She ate it, and they opened all at once.
Her eyes perceived the world as made anew.
Gained reason as the Raven did from gods.

Until then admiration from afar.
His mind, no conjugation with brute beast.
Now with her reason gained, he did inquire.
He asked her to describe the waking up.

“Dear Raven, all the times we saw you pass.
Athena’s temple, we communicate
in bird-like way, in awe of your enchant.
You are so handsome, walk with her, admired.
With goddess dance, what use have you with birds?”

The Raven, skin beneath the black, blushed red.
Could holy bird love feathers black as night?

“I must confess that when I saw you pass.
Your figure caused my heart to skip a beat.
My curiosity of you was piqued.
At moment when I thought to take some act.
I checked myself, considered intellect.
Alone in world, as bird with mind of god.
Eschew a loving act with brutish beast.
Exploitative, my ethics contravene.”

The Dove, she blushed, attraction he expressed.
For days thereafter, they among the halls.
Of temple, rock was cool, and quiet, soft.
These two enchanted birds conversed in depth.
At last, concluding that the stars aligned.
The Raven told the Dove that her, he loved.