Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Poem: "Glass Dancers"

This is the freebie for the August 20, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from LiveJournal user Kelkyag. It also fills the "making do" square on my card for the [community profile] origfic_bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis.


"Glass Dancers"


Eshne liked the skeletons
that Shaeth and Trobby animated
from empty bottles.

On battle nights,
she carried the tip jar
around the tavern
to collect coins and pins,
candle stubs and other tidbits
that people offered in thanks.

They were good at making do
with whatever they had.

Sometimes Shaeth told stories
about the epic wars of old,
illustrated with brown and green skeletons.
It was Glenta who began using them
to present other sorts of stories --
cautionary tales and fairy lore
and lessons in simple skills.

Shaeth used them for planning,
sometimes, lining them up
like worshippers on little benches
and practicing his liturgy
in front of a safe audience.

Then Eshne made a set
of tiny candles in acorn caps
and set the glass skeletons
to dancing with the flames in hand.

"That," Shaeth declared
as he watched the graceful weave of light,
"we save for the temple, not the tavern."
Tags: cyberfunded creativity, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, spirituality, weblit, writing
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  • 6 comments
kelkyag

kelkyag

August 21 2013, 16:49:10 UTC 7 years ago

Tiny glass fire dancers are a lovely image.
ysabetwordsmith

Yay!

ysabetwordsmith

August 21 2013, 22:56:01 UTC 7 years ago

I thought it would be pretty.
technoshaman

technoshaman

August 22 2013, 02:19:44 UTC 7 years ago

*smiles* some things are just too special to be mundane.
ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

August 22 2013, 05:40:18 UTC 7 years ago

I'm glad that Shaeth is getting a sense of how that works for his new tradition.
rowyn

rowyn

August 22 2013, 15:34:15 UTC 7 years ago

D'awww! <3
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

August 22 2013, 23:05:21 UTC 7 years ago

I'm glad you liked this.