"The Tale of Two Beasts"
By: Shinga
Rating: PG
Description: Written for my Monthly Gargoyles Art contest entry. The topic was 'circus' and I'm one of those people who instantly thinks of dark, goth sort of things when I hear circus. Songs like Jars of Clay's "Sad Clown", or Eiffel 65's "Your Clown".(good songs, BTW, neither of them inspired this picture or poem.) So I drew them on the tightrope, in a sort of balancing magic act, and decided they needed a story. So I wrote this poem in the style of a storyteller who might be telling the story at *gasp* a circus :) I need to go to a circus... I haven't been to one in ages.
********************************
Gather 'round,
Ladies and men,
Boys and girls!
Listen on in.
I'll tell you a story,
As above you will see,
The tale of two beasts,
And the beauty of thee.
It was long ago,
Before counted time,
A land ruled by monsters,
Of terrible sight.
They prowled in the night,
And hunted their food,
Prey not unlike,
Young children like you.
Sorcery ruled this age long ago,
When gargoyles glided,
And men were afraid.
Even the beasts knew of this art,
And two gargoyles knew,
The best of them all.
Dangerous they were,
But unlike eachother,
So much that they grew,
To hate eachother.
Even the beasts feared the nights,
When these two would decide to fight.
Their battling lit up the sky,
Every living creature drew in to hide.
Years of anger and war,
Made the Mother of Magic grow bored.
So one night in the silent black,
She left the mage beast a small sack.
What he found inside was a watch,
Golden and bright as the sun.
Inscriptions gave him a spell,
That would create the witch's cell,
And trap her in her mind.
Listen, young lads,
Hark, young lasses,
The tale grows only more sad,
For control was not all the mage had.
The witch beast came later that night,
Her face hidden deep without light,
The mage lept to attack,
But the light from the watch held him back.
Now with the brightness could see,
The witch beast's pallid beauty.
Now listen at once!
Don't fall asleep!
Hear this, if only!
The mage beast fell in something like love,
And all at once he decided,
With lust in his heart,
To make her his mate,
With no eye for fate,
He cast the watch's spell,
And stared at the witch beast fell.
All at once when she awoke,
Her words were of love when she spoke.
From afar watched the Mother of Magic,
She listened with disdain,
For one thing the mage beast forgot,
Was to offer a word of thanks.
As soon as the beasts embraced,
A terrible curse Mother placed.
Forever cast in stone,
Forever, together, alone.
No one mourned their deaths,
For finally they took a breath.
Magic wars had ended,
However unintended.
To this very long day they are still,
And the world shall pass by as it wills.
A sad story indeed is over,
A hopeless tale moreover,
Of love that was not even true,
Now it is time to thank you,
For your listening ears,
And your well-spent tears.
But look once more!
Turn your eyes upward,
Watch the beasts entwined,
Frozen forever in time,
Remember your manners, young tykes,
Tell people words that they like.
A simple 'thanks' will suffice,
Be safe and make that twice.
Now enjoy the rest of the show!
And please thank your mummys and daddys,
For paying us all for today.
Thank you.
