We are hands
No, less than hands, our
Invisible fingers grasp the lady’s
Fine dresses, rearrange the
Brushes and scents on her table,
A waltz of tidying performed
Gracefully, ritually, when the
Clock tolls nine and nine.
Less than hands, but more
Than before, when
We were anonymous,
But mundane,
When we were bound,
Tied to a simple life devoid
Of magic.
The enchantment
Ensnaring the master
Pins us in place with its
Thorns and blooms
Within us –
We are maids,
We are gardens
Alive with sorcery of our own.
Dusting the master’s halls
Once was the labor of days.
Now we blow through the castle,
Our voices, harmonizing on a
Major second, whip away the
Grime with our song,
Leaving all the time in the world to
Pull the master’s tail, stealthily
Sleep in the abandoned, palatial suites,
Force the cutlery into pantomimes,
Breed new flowers with moonlight and venom.
This lady, bought for a rose,
She’s not the first.
We’ve waited on others,
Colder and less inclined
To magic.
But the enchantment,
It likes her. We feel it
Humming through the walls,
Singing in the drafts, eager
To be free.
She’s the kind of girl,
Who can break a curse,
Free a castle.
But we, invisible,
Sight without eyes,
Words without mouths,
Know what she truly wants.
Her dreaming murmurs,
Her whispered swears,
They reveal a mind attuned to,
Thirsty for magic,
Forbidden harmonies,
Locked doors.
She might break the curse.
But, as we whisper in the back halls,
The cellars, through her keyhole,
She could lay one, too.
The enchantment likes her,
As it likes us.
Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman are folklorists, teachers, and writers who co-founded The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, where they teach creative souls how to re-enchant their lives through folklore and fairy tales. They earned their PhDs in English and Folklore from The Ohio State University in 2018. They have authored more than four dozen publications and lectured at venues such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Maryland Renaissance Festival. You can find their poetry and prose in Uncanny, Corvid Queen, Star*Line, and others, and you can find them online at http://www.carterhaughschool.com.
photo by Cederic Vandenberghe (via unsplash)
Crow & Cross Keys 