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When you're traveling east of the sun
And west of the moon
You’re always late
Racing against time
The elements and
Fate
There is no map but your body
And the marks upon it:
The raw red stripe across your wrist
Where the tallow seared you
Along with the lover you
Lost
The knots in your hair
Where the east and west and south
Winds whipped it round your face
Plastered it over your eyes
Till you were blind to all but
The storm whirring, stirring your
Insides
The blue burns where the north wind nearly
Dropped you in the cold, roiling ocean
And the water froze the tips of your
Toes
And still you clung to the back of the
Wind; you flew beyond the borders of the
World, guided only by the compass of your
Heart
Till you landed at the castle where your
Selfless love, your selfish wishes, your
Foolish errors all slept, together, waiting
For you to free them
Free him—your bear prince, brutal
Animal and gentle lover, the one you
Desired and the mirror image of
Yourself
You had slept with this tender monster
Of your heart for so long
Believing yourself blind in
Darkness, not understanding
You needed no candlelight to see
You did not learn the truth
Till you had journeyed east of the sun
And west of the moon
To the castle at the end of the world
The truth—
Only you possess the power
To rescue him, to rescue you
To wash clean the old stains, mistakes, selfish
Foolish things you had to do, the trip
You had to take—
Only you
And so you should never have worried. No
Matter how long the journey, you
Would never be too
Late
Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC. Her poetry has been nominated for a Rhysling Award and Best of the Net.
Cover Design: Amanda Bergloff
Twitter @AmandaBergloff Instagram: amandabergloff