Thursday, July 08, 2010

Three Keys Waiting for a Fairytale


A key made of iron
a key made of agate
a key made from hummingbird bones
a triple-locked casket of cold alabaster
in a sandalwood cabinet in a palace of embers and smoke
surrounded by gardens of vegetable stoplights of green turn to yellow turn red

Waiting for hands gloved in velvet
waiting for hands gloved in steel
waiting for hands that can carry a pen or a lute
in search of a captive or wealth beyond dreaming
in search of a story with scenes of escape and adventure
a fish with a ring in its mouth and a cat with a bell on its handwoven collar

And if they don't make stories like they used to then we have to write our own
and we'll start with clues inscribed inside a walnut shell
and a key embedded in a ripe tomato
and a road map in a sidewalk crack
a key made of music
a key made of moonlight
a key spun from spider-silk and silverfish scales.

--image courtesy of Magpie Tales
Collection available! Knocking from Inside

19 comments:

Gemma Wiseman said...

The poem rings with wondrous fairytale magic! And "vegetable stoplights" is a very clever idea! Beautiful!

Stacey said...

Just kill me I can't handle how lovely it is.

Tumblewords: said...

a key made of moonlight
a key spun from spider-silk and silverfish scales
Magical!

Unknown said...

I just love this ..it rolls around in my head so nicely

Chrissy said...

I loved the imagery of the 'garden traffic'...
"surrounded by gardens of vegetable stoplights of green turn to yellow turn red

Waiting for hands gloved in velvet"

I imagined a busy and blooming victorian fairytale garden.

Anonymous said...

This is gossamer with magic and I didn't want it to end. I want more.

Elizabeth

Suz said...

so many lovely keys
nice writing

Brian Miller said...

what a magical magpie...the repitition as well adds so much....loved it.

signed...bkm said...

fantastic tale...now you must write the rest of the story...about the keys, about the moonlight and about the silverfish scales....lovely...bkm

ninotaziz said...

"...a key spun from spider-silk and silverfish scales."

Are you a long lost descendent of Omar Khayyam? For you certainly write in the lovely way that the old philosophers did. Clues inscribed in walnut shells?

Please write a full length fairytale!

Carrie Van Horn said...

Such wonderful imagery in this piece. :-)

phil said...


Heavens, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever read.

Anonymous said...

Classic Magpie filled with images of Wonder!

Sue J said...

This is lovely. I really enjoyed reading it :)

RA said...

I love the magic in your words.

Tess Kincaid said...

Loved this one especially. My husband likes to refer to me as his iron fist in a velvet glove. I never thought of it in tomatoey terms!

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

classical and beautiful tale.
love the rhythms of the poem!

~T~ said...

Yes, we still need fairytales! I love the intriguing keys, and the tomatoes appearing around the corners.

Lyn said...

You found the key to my heart..fantasy!! Splendid..