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Grandfather Windsong
by Sharmagne Leland-St. John

One night in Autumn
Grandfather Windsong
Happened upon the Moon
Bathing in the well.
Smitten, he captured her
In a wooden pail of still water
Her opalescent beauty shone
And he called her his own,
His beautiful Pearl.
Night after night he sang to her
All the old songs
The Ancients had taught him.
Pearl was coy...
Each time he tried to caress her cheek
She split into fractals.
But because he was so in love with her
He was patient.
He knew how to wait.
However, one night when he saw Wolf
Dip his snout into the pail
In an attempt to kiss her,
Grandfather Windsong became furious
He filled his cheeks
With cold icy air and blew so hard
The trees bent and broke,
One limb almost crushed Wolf.
Who limped away into the forest
Yelping with pain.
He asked her, “Why do you do this ?
Why do you allow others to kiss you,
But you run and hide from me?”
She remained silent.
A few evenings later,
Sparrow perched
On the mossy rim of the pail
And gave her a peck on the cheek,
In a snit Grandfather Windsong
Blew Sparrow's nest to the ground,
And he was forced to move far away
To live with distant relatives.
Owl who had been watching
Grandfather’s Windsong’s antics
Night after night, asked him,
“What right do you have
To keep the Moon in a pail of water?”
As usual Pearl remained silent
As she smiled up at her twin sister
in the October sky.
The next morning Grandfather Windsong
discovered the pail had sprung a leak
and his Pearl had slipped away.
Now he must be content to admire her
From afar
As she rides the misty Winter sky








 

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