Siwar and the Bear

Siwar and the Bear

Pretty, little Honey Plume

Bid her home farewell

Behind windmills

Of North Creek brown

And a dried up wishing well

 

She ran so swift

Her cries were lost

Among conifer trees

She left her pair of unsure legs

Along the river crease

They turned to stone

Her pastel legs

And down she sank

Before she'd known

The shortest route to land

 

She lay upon her back until

She'd learned again to breathe

And along came a hungry bear

He smelt her sadness and despair 

Quite so limber, quite so sweet

Mistaking it for honey

He sniffed her gown and long black hair

That curious, dreadfully big, brown bear

 

And Honey Plume so fast asleep

Now in sudden wake and fear

Had shrieked and hurt the old bear's ears

And in return he tore her face

Before he strayed to find his honey

And leave her tangled in disgrace

 

And poor, little Honey Plume

So sorry, spoilt and hurt

She kneels to the docile river

To wash the bloody, absurd

Stubborn, salty, little tears

 

She needed no herb

She needed no healer

She needed no Seraph

To guide and relief her

 

She wished for a mirror with no border

To break and splinter and 

Slowly slot beneath her skin

To hide the hideous bear-claw smears

The lass would need to work with care

She mustn't spill more blood

Lest she attract a crueler bear

 

And as our story comes to end

You just might come to think:

Ah, young girls must stay dutiful

And in those little, jagged mirrors

Upon her ghastly face you'll see,

That you were never beautiful.

Author's Note

Siwar al-Asal is an Arabic name for the Dame or Protector of Honey.
The name 'Siwar' on its own also has the meaning of a 'bracelet' or a curved, beautiful accessory, hence the repeated reference to the girl in the verses as: Honey Plume (a curved trail of honey)

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Powerful tale shared in the poetry.
"She wished for a mirror with no border
To break and splinter and
Slowly slot beneath her skin
To hide the hideous bear-claw smears
The lass would need to work with care
She mustn't spill more blood
Lest she attract a crueler bear"
The above lines left reader with sad understanding. It is sad we accept less. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[TL Boehm]

this is a complex richly penned poem - beautiful and exquisite story telling.

[Tai Ryens]

Intriguing in the way you state it, a lure for a bear that will consume and devastate, and yet enduring it and prettying yourself in the aftermath in order to ward off the presence of a larger, more vicious creature . . . What a dark turn! I do sense the feeling of acceptance in here, and you portray it so well, settling for the weaker bear because worse things could happen . . . Well portrayed.

[Michael (Letters and Li..]

Great piece of writing! I love the unexpected turn! Amazing. Well done.

[Bright Ocean Star]

This is a beautiful piece of poetry. I love the story of the girl and the bear and the mirror. It took a very gory turn in the end, however. Nice write!

[StarNinja]

Well that took a dark turn! As usual, you rock at the poetry thing. That's the last time Siwar wears the honey perfume, I bet. The last.... verse? stanza? Was pretty kick butt. We're all ugly on the inside aren't we? Sometimes it takes a bear to show us with his claws. Beauty really is skin deep. When you remove the skin, people look really weird.
A+ two thumbs up and all that jazz. Keep up the writing streak!

[Matthew Kult]

Hello Rain,

One of my favorite writers and always adorable.

I love the piece, the sweetness that coats the truth. But then again I wouldn't expect anything less than from yourself. Lovely to stop in and see one of the best still writing.

With Love,

Matthew