His heart he opened freely
the day his eyes gazed upon her...
Raymond loved Melusine,
her flowing locks like flames,
her voluptuous curves,
but most of all,
her smile of sparkling stars.
She was divine in his eyes,
his heart he opened freely
the day his eyes gazed upon,
none other was as mesmerizing,
she had captured him whole.
Dancing lithe among the forest drapery,
her lyrics as pure as a harp.
She was enchanting,
when laughing carefree,
teasing playfully by the wooded river,
as the moon does when toying in slivers.
Eventually, as searing
as the emblazoned sun over France,
seething in tirades of jealously,
Raymond’s fear kept her locked
away in his stone fortress,
her presence all to his delight.
She first blushed at her fortune,
to have Raymond to love her,
someone to care for her,
to make her feel young, vibrant,
and alive.
But she only asked,
with a coy demeanor,
he never pull back the curtain
during her drawn bath,
for her image, though humble,
would need to be replenished.
He always loved to hunt, too,
and he left his beloved,
weekends or evenings both,
and when once she used to go,
now he left Melusine alone.
In the opulent bedroom,
bedecked for her pleasure,
one clear and chilly night,
she paced and she roamed,
then she settled into warm water,
sipping on weakened wine,
to think, to exist.
Raymond acted in surprise,
lovesick with a fervor,
he galloped steady,
pinning for her supple kisses,
straining to hear her sing,
and he arrived home early
without a second thought.
He raced up the stairs,
candlestick in hand,
and flung open the door to exclaim—
…but a half-serpent woman,
tail of matte scales,
wings of dragon,
in shock and in horror,
jumped out the window,
wails of melancholy surfacing
as she plunged into the river below,
with tears inking her joy.
His nightmare unfolding,
his eyes singed in torture,
he watched his love glide
through the water out of sight.
But what is love held captive,
intent not considered,
as confinement of true being
is as good as death.
Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi has Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Journalism, and History. She has 20 years of experience in the communication and marketing fields and is currently a writer, a journalist, a publicist, and an editor among many other things.
Follow her book world at:
Twitter: @ErinAlMehairi
Cover by Amanda Bergloff
