Golden Unicorn

by David Blalock

For seeming ages past, the Light of Life passed
And left no trail for the beast to follow.
For years, the Unicorn, on nightwings borne,
Could but in Light's shadow wallow.
For days, the jet-black beast looked back
To find the Light in something gone.
In minutes of true realization grew
The knowledge of how Light is won.
In seconds of time, change in rhyme
Put out the black and brought the gold;
In lifeless light and Lightless life
To show the secret to be timeless old.

What was already was what was needed
To fill the aching hollow
And life the beast from near dead
To life full and golden.

Pinioned form of ageless myth,
O Unicorn of ancient tale,
Behold the woman who's destined with
Your fate, brilliant and pale.
Tis said only virgin may ride
Without fear of consumption,
That any other's passion, pride,
Would destroy and end in corruption.

But though grains of truth in myth be,
Legends are meant to contain
More symbols than truthfully
Presenting facts hard and sane.
Unicorn sees the symbol of unspoilt
To mean love and thought pure
Instead of body in Light inexperienced
Or in love shy, unsure.

Golden Unicorn, fly higher than before.
Light-swathed beast glittering yellow,
Lift your wings with the woman of yore
And soar into Life and Light mellow.

Author's Note:
I have written a series of poems around the Arabic image of the unicorn: winged and black. It represents the baser instincts in man in a way that is not conveyed by the more western unicorn. Although westerners allow that the nature of the beast can only be tamed by the innocence of a virgin, they do not address the why of that assertion. I have tried to capture that reason in these poems.

E-mail:jrlthran@memphisonline.com