In the Rough: The Tale of Rubi
Alone, surrounded by trees and the sunlight and the air,
I wander.
Bow and arrow in hand, weary sandals covering my sole,
Across rivers.
Wind whipping my evergreen hair, whispering a name--
Her name.
I pretend to ignore it and continue my journey across the land,
Lone Elf.
I step over the raging river, terrible and magnificent and firm,
Like me.
I smile as I see worthy game, and my omnipotent arrow flies true--
Hunger dies.
Leaving bones to the scavengers, I wash up and continue my journey
To nowhere.
Further into the forest, into its heart, into its soul, into its mind I go,
Why not?
I remember, ages ago, or perhaps it was yesterday when I saw her,
That human.
She was frightened of me, and ran screaming into the forest,
This forest.
I didn't pay her any mind, nor my destination, nor my situation--
Red Eyes.
Outcast, reject, hermit, isolated, solitary, alone, by myself, nobody
Loved me.
Of course, I cared not for such a cruelty--bah, I laughed at Fate and
Her devices.
I twisted a path through the woods and thrived because Nature
Desired it.
Though even now I can't comprehend why one woman ran and another
Embraced me.
It was the way of things, of course, and I was not one to question these
Mighty powers!
Abandoning the forest, I resumed my travels until I came to
The end.
Past, future, bah what a waste--I did good by not thinking of
My fate.
Bow in hand, quiver on back, I emerged from the woods and
Resumed traveling.
I came upon an empty cottage and lived here for a month, but
Left hastily.
Previous owners, what a fool I had been to stay there so long--
Fought them.
Left the cabin, did I, for further pursuits and greater destinies--
Wet blood.
Brought on by the rain and their injuries, to be sure; victor was I,
So empty.
Ignoring, I resumed my journey, across valleys and the great
Freezing mountains.
Fortune and glory evade and embrace my spirit and soul, it
Sickens me.
I cannot exist on such terms, yet still I wander through these
Barren lands.
I remembered the wind howling, like a specter at my side, howling
For her.
I ignored the ghost and came across a vast ocean of sand, the deadly
Burning desert.
Trapped now I was, between past and future--into a vortex of Now
Was I.
One sole stepped into the sand, another soul followed close by, am I
Entering Hell?
Perhaps; it felt as such, and devils and demons mocked my long journey
To nowhere.
Faint, thirsty, tired, exhausted, on fire was I, and demons kept laughing--
I continued.
I stumbled as I emerged from the purity of the sand and the dunes, glad that asylum
I found.
An empty oasis greeted me, one with green trees with lush fruit and water clear as
A diamond.
I stayed and refreshed myself there, probably for years; now finally I was alone, buried
Beneath sand.
Eventually I would leave and continue my journey--naturally, for T'was my position
The rough.
Death hated me as always, and the great Lady Luck smiled on my
Accursed fortune!
Desired to win for long, I did not--why I even journeyed onward was
Beyond me.
Still I kept walking; to where I knew not; from what I didn't know,
Red Stars.
Night, day, summer, autumn, winter, seasons, months, time
Stared icily.
I smiled as I came to the sea--never before have I seen such a marvel,
Beautiful wonder.
Dipping my soles in, I felt my soul wash clean from gracious Nature--
She was!
T'is true--ones such as myself do not deserve such redemption from
This mistress.
And so, in joyous revelry and happiness, I gave a warm thanks to the sea,
My lady.
I walked across the beaches, I smiled as I rested from my journey; stumbled on
The diamond.
Lost, tripped, fell, claimed it as my own. Great piece of rock that I found and
I lost.
I cursed my own ineptitude--such worthy treasures would yield great price! But I
Never found.
Disappointed, I shrugged it off and continued my travels, the moon giving off a
Dead glimmer.
My journey would have no end, since it had no beginning, I was always escaping
My lady.
Fate, the cruelest of all mistresses, toyed with my spirit and shattered it,
Broken jewel.
A waste it was not--did love my mistress, I did, as I owed her much, just not
Shattered hopes.
Into the valley I sank, arrows exhausted and bow rusted from use, my skills
Lost forever.
My ruby eyes still radiated with an all-too familiar glow, that haunting eternal
Dull shine.
Escaping from an unproven enemy, I weaved into the valley and became
Eternally lost.
A lush Eden greeted me where two mountains kissed, so it was here that I
Stopped traveling.
Settling down, I retired my bow and arrow, and rested on the grass thinking.
I died.
The End
Author's note: Just your everyday run of the mill poem, right? Well, take a closer look and see if you can't unravel the subtle message that Rubi is more or less conveying. There's something much deeper behind this tale of adventure, but all I can say is pay attention to every other line. Hope you enjoyed both "versions" of this!