Speculative Fiction Poetry 1

A Steed of Steel and Silver

I have watched the red horses
Waiting to run, watched them toss their heads
And shake the jingling harness, slim legs
Dancing in place, so eager to be off.
Oh, but give me a steed of steel and silver!
Give me a ship to outrace the winds,
Not of earth and air, but space itself.
Let me ride the breath of suns and fly beyond
The reach of weight and reins.
Let me run with the herds of heaven,
The bright stars hurtling by; let me leave hoofprints
On foreign shores still strangers to my name;
Let me leap the dark pools of dust and find
The fire undimmed beyond.
Only give me that ship, that dreamsteed starship
Mouthing the bit and yanking at the reins -- we will
Ride together until the very light blurs and tires,
Until time itself falls behind and we outrace all the world.

"A Steed of Steel and Silver" copyright 1995 Elizabeth Barrette, first published in Mindsparks Science Fiction Poetry Anthology. Author's Notes.

Sunflower, Moonflower

If blood could be as tender as mist,
as deep as steel,
then I could love you forever.

If bone could be as fine as ivory,
as certain as ice,
then I could love you forever.

If dark could be as wild as music,
as fierce as birth,
then I could love you forever.

If lust could be as quiet as sunrise,
as true as dream,
then I could love you forever.

If fear could be as sweet as mead,
as heady as storm,
then I could love you forever.

If bond could be as sure as peace,
as free as spring,
then I could love you forever.

If death could be as gentle as starlight,
as loyal as morning,
then I could love you forever.

But you cannot give me these simple assurances:
You turn to the moon as I to the sun,
And your world and mine touch only at twilight.

"Sunflower, Moonflower" copyright 1996 Elizabeth Barrette, first published in Hadrosaur Tales issue #3. Author's Notes.

What the Rain Touches

what the rain touches
is only grass
what the grass feels,
only wind

but to the sky
and troubled watchers

rain and wind
tears and sighs

beneath it all,
the grass, the newgreen
growing grass

which cannot live without the rain
which cannot move without the wind

"What the Rain Touches" copyright 1995, 1998 Elizabeth Barrette, first published in Redundantly, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 1995. Author's Notes.

Author's Notes

"A Steed of Steel and Silver" embodies the wanderlust that makes us yearn for the stars. I chose horses as the focus of this poem because of their power and magic, because carried humans to strange new places at the dawn of history, and because I love watching them run. Horses can evoke the same sense of wonder as space (though in a different way) so it felt natural to combine the two. Return

"Sunflower, Moonflower" "Sunflower, Moonflower" is a vampire un-love poem. The irony in this piece lies in the way its human narrator paints an incredible picture of life as a vampire, which the vampire lover somehow fails to offer although the darkly glorious imagery captures the all the appeal of undead immortality quite accurately. Even the undead can prove inadequate and unlucky in matters of the heart. This poem left me with the impression that its narrator, though still human, would make a much better vampire than its subject. When the sun and the moon invoke their inevitable separation, it underscores the whole sad story. Return

"What the Rain Touches" comes from my primary fantasy setting, Hallelaine, although nothing in the poem itself reveals its origin. The viewpoint character is one of the darrow elves, most of whom share a more or less miserable past -- and many of whom produce strikingly eloquent poetry as a side effect. For me, this piece highlights the fact that they wouldn't be anywhere near as fascinating if they all lived happy lives; it is the misfortune that creates life and motion and interest. Return