When I Came Upon Your Heart

Navaris Darson

When I came upon your heart,

it was guarded by heavy vines—

thickets and thickets of nearly

impenetrable briars and thorns 

warding off the trickery of wolves

and the treachery of witches

I peered through the windows

when you did not answer my call

and found you transformed by a spell—

lover turned nightingale, 

spinning a golden melody

from the jilted cage of your own design

And when night encroached—

cold and grim—I remained at your door,

night after night, with one lone torch,

wrestling away the shadows 

and fending off the monsters

who came to menace you in the dark

Holding on for a fortuitous dawn,

when having secured your trust

through the wrenching forbearance

of your worst fears and mine,

you might unbolt and beckon me in

beyond the clutches of despair

To sing in mellifluous consort

as the curse is dispelled

and the duet of our desire

ascends the scales to court eternity 

November 09, 2019