They called her The Scandal.
She knew they referred to her
as the King's whore -
the fierce and poisonous concubine.
She may not have been virginally pure,
but she knew the power
that a beautiful woman at court
could obtain.
One day, she completely captured her love
even before she could spin a web.
The lady made every day Spring
and every man, woman, and child smile
their large toothy grins
that stretched from ear to ear.
The King was her heart,
her hunger, her passion.
He allowed her to be anything
she wanted to be.
Why, if she had awakened one morning
wanting nothing more than to be a bird,
her sweet love would have made her wings
with which she could fly
to forbidden lands and unplanned destinies,
her falcon coming to life
leaping from its crest
as a frog from a lily pad.
But she remained grounded
keeping her king at a stiff arm's length,
waiting for a love that would be innocent,
kind, and full of wealth and power.
After six years of lustful torture,
her wish was finally granted.
Her love was now permanently placed
by her side, two thrones of near-equal size.
The passion she could now share with him
was never shameful, dirty, or drenched in sin.
She was a queen now.
She could never be dirty!
But that's what they continued to call her,
that disgraceful, dirty mistress
of a most regal and gracious king.
However, they were mistaken.
This queen was quite clean
and bold with a wit to rival any male.
Yet Scandal remained her name,
the filthy witch who seduced a king,
a man torn between two loves:
his duty to his country
and his furious passion
for a beautiful woman,
a kind and confident queen.
She knew she was special,
capturing the crown's eyes
and stealthily stealing his gaze
from his forgotten Queen of Hearts.
Her public loved her...
and yet they despised her
for how could anyone understand
the labyrinth that was her mind?
How could anyone comprehend
the depth of her love for him?
And what did her king do
with her love?
After years of her constant failure
to bring forth his proper fruit,
how did he dispose of her?
He called in a professional,
a first-grade assassin,
to remove that gorgeous mane,
that complex mind,
and that precious smile swiftly
from her body.
It was a murder, yes.
But did her people prevent it?
After all of her sacrifices
to bring forward a world of compassion,
humility, grace, and understanding,
did they keep her safe?
At her end, all they could remember
was her wicked abduction of their king
who, in their eyes, could do no wrong.
Yet the first seed of regret
was planted within them
as they quickly buried away her remains
in a molded arrow box.
Now, she reigns supreme
as a martyr for love,
a victim,
a fearless leader
who quested for acceptance and good.
She may have been known as a scandal,
but if her only crime
was unconditional love for her king and her people,
how can she be remembered
as anything less than a saint?
August 1, 2010
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