The Queen

Janhavi Shrivastava

Once upon a time there lived a Queen,
so benevolent, so pure.
Safely tucked away in her castle high above,
the great divide left her with no friends.
But she was adamant, she was sure,

One day while looking out of her window
she exclaimed, "I want to spend more time with the peasants and with them, now, I'm off to stay!"
And after her goodbyes to her dear and near,
with a promise to return very soon,
she prepped her favorite horse and rode away with dreams of changing fates, unaware of her doom.

Months passed, springtime came
But every flower in the castle garden refused to bloom,
not even a single bird sang,
all waited anxiously for their queen to return,
for they too had heard the grisly tales of the faraway lands.

Months turned into years.

Finally one day
the gates opened,
a little bird began to sing -
In walked a lady who looked just like their queen.
With her hair tousled,
her clothes torn,
her eyes blank,
with a broken heart
and a knife in her back,
She walked into the castle she owned.

In the ballroom she heard music,
she danced to the sad tune,
danced till she could no more,
then she staggered to her throne.
She let out a sigh as she sat down,
The music in her head finally stopped,
and an eery silence filled the room.

Even today they talk about her -
Once upon a time there lived a Queen,
She was so benevolent, so pure,
She was the queen who died sitting on her throne.