08 - "I, Arthur"

lady of the lake
---------your light
---------still blinds me most days.

I shield my eyes
but your shell
bears down on me
---------your beak pries
my eyelids apart

you force me
to my knees at the gates of your temple.

Viviane
will you still
accept my humble gratitude
if I
look upon the faces of other gods
---------Western bearded men
---------whose love
---------seals my place
---------in glory?

You will forgive me
in my old age
though a woman's
forgiveness is never
guaranteed

You will plant your sword
in my breast
and restore me to
my Avalon.


(Image of the sacred turtle basking on her little island in the lake from this website. This week's poem, as previously promised, was inspired by the similarities between the Vietnamese legend of Kim Quy and the Lady of the Lake (Viviane) of Arthurian legend. I think of it as a play on Arthur's ultimate rejection of Avalon as he takes up Roman religion. I'm sure some of you can guess what my favorite interpretation of Arthurian legend is. A couple of formatting elements in the original draft won't work on Blogger for some reason; a few lines are supposed to be spaced over a bit, so I've tried to do it by placing dashes and changing their color to blend in with the background. I'm sorry if this throws anyone off.)