The Queen of Cups

Poetry inspired by tarot, Shakespeare, epic ballads, and the power of the feminine.

QUEEN OF CUPS



Who is the dreamy queen
adrift on her throne
seeming alone
with her thoughts of the past
and the future, glimmering, untold -
her dreams will unfold.

This queen of keen insight,
compassionate ilk,
her mystery hides behind
hazy remembrance:
        shimmering veils
of soft shifting silk
part to bewitch and entangle
young lovers
who seek to uncover her thoughts
and her dreams -
a river that streams close to heaven.

Young Queen of the Cups,
her feet dangling in water,
fish team 'neath her splendor:
        understated,
        unspoken
she dreams both awake
and while sleeping;
speaks in soft tongue,
oft-times weeping -
her joy overflowing.
There's strength in expression
of sadness and doubt,
remembrances not sought for
seek solace like diamonds and sparks
from her childhood:
        her loves, raw and tender.
She lives in the past and yet
leans toward the future...remember:
        all time becomes memory
progressing unheeding to pleas
throughout life.
This queen knows time's power,
floats gently upon it.
Her compass points North
toward that star and its guidance.

She dresses full-flowered in greens:
tender shoots, fertile memory,
spring buds, summer meadow;
and reds: rose-red petals kiss
sensual scarlet, sparks violet
patterns in lavender hue;
gold stars shooting shadows
like dusty caresses of butterfly wings;
think jesting of bed mates,
the tousling of two
        silver braids,
        silken threads
twine cascading in tresses
soft as hands
and lips pliant sing lilies' breath -
remembrance whispers sweet.

Enthralled by her image,
her movements beside him
mesmerized is her lover,
her husband, her king
whom she weds
and awakens emotion inside him,
together they're dreaming
a third from their two.
Their play is co-passion,
a sensuous dreaming
seeming alone with their thoughts
of the past
and the future untold,
their dreams will unfold.

Intuition, the gift of this Queen of the Cups
and clear water,
her dreams pure decision
as a bird's instinct, flight.
Protected, protecting
pregnant dreams
projecting the image of female:
a candle flame lighting the night.
Fragility flits on the stage of survival;
but dreaming is power
and power dividing
the true-self
from false role of public denial,
expectant expression
submission the final destruction of spirit.
The Queen is the feminine form of a woman
born to self truthful, triumphant in
knowledge, the drowning of fears
and lost senses.
The Queen understands the luxury of succumbing
for girls fallen 'twixt confusion and grief.
Spurned passion and dreams turned to madness
and folly.
Should self-knowledge rule
or obedience bow her to other's perception
of love and its rights?
There's strength in sweet innocence,
Rosemary, that's for remembrance,
and pansies, that's for thoughts;
for beauty, a daisy;
sage for esteem;
here's elm for dignity;
love's bound with honeysuckle dreams;
lily-of-the-valley, the bouquet completes,
and the return to happiness
is replete -
the Queen with her flowers
gives back shortened lives;
blithely awakens
the drowning:
Ophelia revives.


Kimberly Kublank/IronWorks Publishing at Focus Fine Arts � 1998