Bluebeard Promises

Bluebeard’s promises lure our unwary natures on to the shaky bridge which we need only cross to reach that which we dream. We convince ourselves that if we tread carelessly, the rotten planks, unnoticed at first glance will hold long enough to claim our bliss. We believe the fabricated fictions we’ve been told; If only we love long enough, desperately enough, and persevere against all obstacles, the bear, the frog, the tattered beggar, will show his true self: A dragon slayer A knight of the realm The prince of our dreams. Barefoot, in our torn and tattered dress; The best we have left of our time torn youth We query the stars in our indecision. A tentative step at first, changing to a surer gait, then flying, as a dancer would, across the broken boards as confidence and hope overtake the reasoned caution of experience. Dashing that last few steps…. Under our weight the rotten wood breaks behind us It leaves no way to return to where we were. Yet laughing with the exuberance of all possibilities We stay a step ahead!