Stave 3
Elisa wept and sadly crept
Out of her father’s castle.
Not knowing whether to turn left or right,
She wandered over marsh and field,
Into the forest and the night,
Where she found soft moss to lay her head,
Said her prayers and went to bed.
She watched the glow worms shimmering
And falling
Like shooting stars until she was dreaming
That she was playing
With her eleven brothers.
The next morning, already high
In the sky,
The sun’s rays pierced the forest’s canopy
And woke Elisa.
She was surrounded by nature
And the sound of splashing
From a nearby spring.
The ragamuffin princess found a pond
As still and clear as a mirror;
A frightening face stared back at her
But once she had immersed her body and face,
Her beauty and grace
Returned.
Elisa drank from the bubbling spring,
Ate wild crab apples and continued walking
Into the depths of the forest
And loneliness.
© Kim M. Russell, 2016
Image found on Pinterest
writing in north norfolk 