Mariposa`s Song

Behind cold bars and closed doors
where you can't tell day from night,
time squeezes seconds into minutes,
days into weeks, weeks into years.

Occasionally a match is lit
and glimpses of casted shadows
leave the walls, come forward
to whistle Mariposa's song,
the Black Witch.

Whispers bring to life a long forgotten story
of an undecided widow, a devil in disguise,
condemned to die by her offended suitors,
whose egos succumbed to their wounded pride.

Her only faults were shattered faith and self-withdrawn;
nevertheless she was brought to court,
accused of witchcraft and insanity,
charged and looked with jaundiced eyes;
needless to say the judges were unfair.

During the trial she stood still,
gilded in her wedding shroud,
she never spoke, nor looked afraid.

Tears never welled up her eyes,
she seemed absent-minded, far-away;
no one recalled a sight or cry for help.

Some believed she took a silence vow,
others claimed her spirit was on different realms
where she could witness the birth of clouds.

The callous wigs have locked her up,
never again she saw a ray of light-
the stoned wall of her wretched cell
served as her only friend, a quiet listener.

She spend the days living completely in her mind,
seeming unaware of those who tried to gain her trust,
ignoring guards who visited only to saturate their lust,
until one day when she disappeared,
leaving behind nothing but a sorrow moth.

Rumours told about devil casting a spell,
allowing her to change shape and transcend
to the realm where she was already half present.

Locals feared she'd return for vengeance,
that she'd entrapped their souls with her venom,
preventing them from reaching God's heaven.

To save their souls, in the nights,
they hunted down butterflies and moths,
burnt them singing gospels and old chants.

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Here are some of the poems I previously published here on Hive and on Steemit:
A PAWN
ROAR
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
LET WIDOWS SMILE
QUEEN OF SHAME AND BLAME
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
LAST WISH
PREDICTION
DRAWN TO BLACK
BRUISES
RED CARDINAL
INCOGNITO LIFE
CROWN OF QUILLS
STOLEN LIVES
THE KITE RUNNER
THE MOUNTAINS
BALAD
SHOOTING STARS
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
ALL BOUT LOVE
A TALE OF A MINNOW AND A WHALE
LONG WAY DOWN 1
LONG WAY DOWN 2
SPIDER QUEEN
MINA'S EULOGY
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
YOU KNOW IT ALL
CONFESSION OF A HUSBAND
BROKEN DREAM
THE RETURN OF A HERX
CLOSE THE DOORS
IT IS LOVE
BROKEN SOUL
FREEDOM
SPEECHLESS
CHECKOUT POINT
TEENAGE YEARS
PINK
PAIN
DARE
LOST

Lavi Picu is the author of three soulful poetry collections: Whiteless Thoughts, Burden of love and Tales of a moody heart. She is a Canadian writer, majored in Linguistics, with a background in translations and writing. She’s also a ghost writer, a blogger with a focus on arts and health, a Lyme disease advocate, a mother and a self-taught artist.