The Subtle Planets (Poetry)

The princess in her ivory tower
dreams of rescue twice an hour —
knights on pale and prancing horses
led by stars in mystic courses
fill her thoughts with ancient glories —
she’s read the legends — heard the stories.

So she sits there quietly spinning
while the fantasy is thinning —
getting restless — growing older
as the sneaking doubts enfold her
instinct’s like a phone wire humming
warning that there’s no one coming —

it’s a myth — a foolish fable —
those horses live in fiction’s stable —
the knights long-gone — their armour rusted
and simple maids for whom they lusted
are no more and lost forever
beyond all gallant hearts’ endeavour...

The disillusioned princess wishes
she’d been generous with her kisses —
chose a cottage not a tower —
set her sights a little lower —
let a common suitor charm her —
some well-to-do and honest farmer.

Now past her prime and feeling thwarted —
desperate to be loved and courted
she throws away her crown and tosses
caution to the wind — small losses
while she gambles on a long shot —
pits a peach against a kumquat —

thinks to broaden her horizon —
trades a young heart for a wise one.
Now middle-aged she’s starting over —
seeks a kind and thoughtful lover
while the subtle planets guide her
and the romance sleeps inside her.