Dear Joscelin

Dear Joscelin,
Elua himself could ask for none
more loyal than you.
It is Cassiel’s star
you vow to follow.
Oh my love, I have my vows too.

No, more than vows.
It is what I am.
Blood in my eye,
dark craving of my flesh -
my gods have laid this upon me.

I cannot lie when I say
I find pleasure in it.
But the sight of your face
makes me wish it were otherwise.

You kneel in the rain
praying to Cassiel for understanding.
I hate the sight of these austerities.
But it is what you are,
I’ve accepted that.
Please accept this!

Please accept me.

Oh Naamah, oh Kushiel,
give me strength to bear this.
I am more used to receiving pain
than dealing it!

Joscelin,
one I love best
among all mortal men and women.
Please let that be enough for you.

My gods call,
I must follow.



Art used with kind permission of the artist: 
For more of her art, visit her website The Fantasy Art of Angela R. Sasser 
and her etsy shop of the same name


Song Choice: Beth by Kiss
This poem was created from a prompt offered by Magaly Guerrero for NaPoWriMo (Day 22: Plant a poem within a tale; create a poem within a story I've read. The story I chose was Kushiel's Chosen, the second in the Kushiel's Legacy series. If you haven't read these, go do it now! It's an amazing series with some wonderful and engrossing world building)

21 comments:

  1. Oh that is such a heart breaker...torn between love and destiny XXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! The book is a wonderful read. It's one of my favorites.

      Delete
  2. I can feel the anguish! Good write. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good stuff... See my words at:

    gramswisewords.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. If I had never read the book, I would be breaking my neck running to search for it after reading your poem. Staring from the first stanza, you communicate the hunger the characters feel, the responsibility, the despair... The tone does wonder, here. I'm left wanting to soothe, even if the price for it is as steep as the possibility of being lost forever . Like I said, if I hadn't had read it already... you wouldn't see me for this after this. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The characters in this book were so amazingly done that it was a gigantic challenge to try to convey what was going on in this format and stay true to who they were. I'm glad I was able to get across the feelings I wanted here.

      Delete
  5. You captured it perfectly! I adore these books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I am so jazzed that people who loved the series feel my poem is a good fit!

      Delete
  6. Oooh this is beautifully haunting :D and so well adapted from the book. Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support :D

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

    ReplyDelete
  7. Like the best of wines, this treat reads ever better after a bit of aging... This time around, I slowed down, remembered the imagery from the book, embraced the new angles your poem offered... Yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this one might be one that's fun to read out loud, though I have quite a few already on that list.

      Delete
  8. Oh, I didn't know that tale, but I love the way you introduce me to it here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's really well done, IMHO. It does have some racy themes to it, but the story line is terrific.

      Delete
  9. A deep and rich story - full of imagery and aching - superb

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful poem. Sounds like a terrific book series.

    ReplyDelete