Sestina

The shell of a shadow lingers behind a tree trunk

and spies on the creatures which fight

and tackle the weakened, fallen star

Who once ruled the world with her charm.

And as those creatures rob her of her beauty

the shelled out shadow hides in shame.

And the shadow-like thing, consumed by his shame

Is, too, consumed by the enormity of the trunk

And he, too, is stripped of his beauty.

He twists and he turns but does not win the fight he does not win the fight.

While she falls to the ground like a bracelet’s broken charm

and suddenly, she is no longer a star.

She is no longer a star.

Broken down, what a shame.

What a shame to capture the creatures with her charm

to be torn down to nothingness, clasping shut her trunk

filled with treasures and secrets she can’t bear to fight.

What a shame to destroy the light of her beauty.

And the shadow creeps out to the once-reigning beauty

and stares at the scars of the star.

she does not put up a fight. She cannot put up a fight.

She is broken. She cowers away in shame. 

She is broken He opens her trunk

And he lifts out the bracelet which lacks all its charm.

He smiles with all the warmth and charm

he could muster. She is relieved. Endless beauty

shines behind his eyes. Shines from the trunk

of the tree and shines from the sky like a star.

Like a star, she puts those creatures to shame

Those creatures which tackled and fought that fight.

She releases her fright of the fight

and carries herself with a newfound charm

like none other. Ashamed to have ever had shame,

she sees now the truth of her beauty

and his. And while he shines, the star

slips away behind the tree trunk.

She fights to keep her beauty burning.

The charm on her bracelet polished, the star 

finally escaped, her shame locked inside the trunk.