The Pairaka's Waltz
I have lain here -- I know not for how long,
For now it's dark, and all sunlight has gone.
My fear now rises with the close of day --
The pairakas now come to me to play.
Their angel's faces smile, and laugh, and kiss --
O that such beauty hides such wickedness!
I must remain, lost in the grip of dread --
All tangled, wound about with golden thread.
A chuckle, sly; a footstep: Zahra's there --
Her green cat's eyes peer out from flaming hair.
Her alabaster hand glides down my cheek --
I whimper like a dog; I cannot speak.
Rahi's skirts now slide across my face --
A giggle peals in this unholy place.
I must lie here, bound up in cord and trance --
No refused invitations at this dance.
And now my blood is draining in the cup
That dark Darice placed there to catch it up.
A clink of goblets -- sounds to chill my soul --
Especially when they toast each other: "Skoal!"
My senses fade; I now fall into sleep --
It's where I try to hide in dreams I keep.
But, no -- lips at my ear, frost on my brow --
As little Finna whispers: "My turn now...."
Michael Ferrier
The Pairaka's Waltz by Michael Ferrier