Belle

I knelt in the dirt of the old, empty room

Watching him carry my father away

Without a word of Goodbye

His clawed fingers gripped the candle stick

As we wandered through halls and wings

East, not West

Sliding my eyes from torn paintings to broken floors

Until we came upon a door and he trapped me there

I fought, I struggled, I wept, I cried

I would not join him for dinner

I wandered through that forbidden wing

To the flower that hung there

I reached out to touch it

And he pounced and roared in my ear

I feared him

- Oh how I feared him

I ran, barefoot into the crumbling snow

Through the dark

Through the wood

Into the lair of the wolf

Rip, tear, blood, sweat and tooth

The wolf lay dead at the foot of the creature

My creature

My man

And I took him home

Bathed his wounds and combed his hair

We played games

He was less evil when I was not afraid of him

Although others were

I would have never forgiven him if it wasn't for the books

Shelf upon Shelf, Row upon Row

Fiction –

Tales with happy endings

I read him the stories, curled up in his fur;

It was cold in that great house

I even danced with him, once

Or there would have been no occasion to wear that golden dress

He bended, he moulded for me

And when he loved me he let me go

And I ran

Home over hill and fen

Ran, way back then

But a man was hammering at my door

Handsome, cocky

This monster had flesh and cold eyes

So I ran back to my man, my monster, my creature

Because he would protect me

Save me from all those men who storm castle gates,

Outside barred walls,

And he died to see me

But I tricked that rose, the glass

So he would shield me from men –

Give a woman peace

For honestly,

Who could learn to love a Beast?