Summary: My response to the “Once Upon a Midnight Dreary” challenge of January 2017: a poem written in the Gothic style. I’m not sure Poe would approve of my attempt, but Tirza has always fascinated me, and she insisted on being part of this writing challenge.
Rating: K Word Count: 248
Tirza’s Lament
By JoaniePaiute
Your brothers barely noticed me,
sons of an enlightened age,
as if the agonized wail of a wolf
could be reduced to a sequence of numbers.
Howl, wolf. Snarl, cat. Scream, stallion.
I am all of you.
And you, you poor, wounded boy,
you green-eyed pup,
I loved you in my way,
but not in yours.
“She’s a fine girl,” your father said,
and I wonder if I ever could have been.
My wagon trundles away, and I leave you
all I have: a smile that weeps
like sugar glaze on a cake left in the sun.
I will let you think me happy. I sing goodbye.
Ivy sing ivory, rosebud and thorn.
Man-child bewildered, abandoned, forlorn.
I see too much. I do not want
to witness those blue dresses flapping,
luring you and your hapless, helpless brothers
to forever chase their blue.
White water, still water, leaves tumble down.
Primrose blooms fall like snow, soft on the ground.
Howl, wolf. Snarl, cat. Scream, stallion.
Bird, fish, lizard, gnat,
I am all of you. Catch me,
eat me, drink me, let me go.
Fig cakes and yoghurt and sweet honey wine.
I am not yours and you’ll never be mine.
Tags: Tirza
Wow, JoaniePaiute! There were a lot of Bonanza episodes that could have been wonderful but ended up being silly or corny as a result of the times, but isn’t that what fanfic writers are for? To tell it the way it should have been told? Thanks for giving us “The Dark Star”–and Tirza–as they should have been told!
Golly, Sandspur–thank you for this! Now you’ve got me thinking…a Dark Star WHN? Adult Tirza reencountering adult Joe? Well, even if this poem stands alone for all time…thank you!
Definitely all Tirza, but with a wisdom the episode never allowed her to show. Thank you for wiping some of the silliness away from what must have been a very bizarre–and at times even frightening–experience for Joe and the other Cartwrights!
Thank you, skl! So glad you read and liked this. I agree, the episode was silly (it cracks my kids up too), but I always felt it could have gone deeper. I suppose this poem was my way of voicing my frustrations about the ep!
What a wonderful way to capture Tirza. It fits her perfectly.
Thank you so much, Bluewind! So glad you liked this!
“Dark Star” is a train wreck of an episode, and I can never look away. Love her or hate her, Tirza is a fascinating character, a raggedly beautiful will o’ the wisp, indefinable — yet you have captured her essence in these few lines. Are you a witch too? 🙂
Aha, you found me out! Lol…but thank you so much for the…accusation? And for the really nice review!
Well done, JoanieP. I liked the refrain; sounded just like Tirza. She is a good subject for the challenge.
Thank you, Cheaux! The refrain stanzas actually came first, a few years ago. I guess I was saving them for your challenge!