I’m taking the train to Avalon
It’s just one stop short of Paradise Hills
I’m greeted at the station by Sir John
And the sight of a knight tilting at windmills
“Don Quixote’s wrestling with his shadow
At the Soul Tournament,” John looks and says
“Do you want to go and say hello?”
I shake my head, I’m in too much of a mess
I go to the ‘Lady of the Lake’ hotel
And take a bath in a white marble tub
This place feels like Endymion’s cell
The bed is moonlight soft after my scrub
The room’s decorations are so very strange
With Excalibur on the mantelpiece
I wonder how the knight Sir John arranged
For this exclusive royal suite’s release
I eat supper at the Round Table
Seated near Sir Gareth’s sister-in-law
She tells me tales of her pet sable
And about the time she was an outlaw
The holy grail placed in our midst
Overwhelms with the scent of vintage wine
The Aes Sidhe, like me, are on the guest list
They tell me they’re descendants of Danu’s line
Magic’s in the air, enchantment covers the isle
It can shatter the tranquil masks of the persona
Deleting all the lies from my public profile
(Integrating and transforming the anima)
Knights errant on the beach construct sand castles
With Gaudi’s impressiveness, finesse and style
Over the horizon I spot the Yggdrasil
The three Norns sit on the branches under trial
“Surf’s up, ” Lancelot shouts, jumping into the sea
Holding an enormous board made of penance
He’s grappling with his dark shadows just like me
The deep blue waters soon mask his presence
The Lady of the Depths exits the Boundless
She waves to me and whispers into my ears
My surroundings vanish and the sea side’s now soundless
She wipes away my tears, she’s all that I hear
She says to me, “It’s not yet time to be here
Can’t you see that you’re still a babe- a-crawling?
Hold my hand and I will help you disappear”
In her clasp I feel that the sky is falling
I’m now back in my room, back as a squire
Back to all that ugly yellow wallpaper
But my trip to Avalon has inspired
An escape plan, I gather pen and paper
A/N: Explanation of some terms for those who are unfamiliar. This poem goes all over the place.
Endymion: in Greek mythology, a youth who spent much of his life in perpetual sleep. The goddess of the moon was in love with Endymion, and asked Zeus to grant him eternal youth. Zeus agreed, and made him sleep forever.
Don Quixote: character in a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. He’s quite eccentric.
Sir Gareth’s sister in law : Lynette, a pain in the neck.
Aes Sidhe: supernatural race in Celtic mythology comparable to fairies or elves
Danu: A goddess
Gaudi: Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Catalan architect from Spain.
The Norns: deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies.
Yellow wall paper: Short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I’m using it here to depict psychosis and depression
Jungian archetypes–
Shadow: those aspects of the personality that we choose to reject and repress.
Persona: a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual.”
Anima: the unconscious feminine side of a man, transcending the personal psyche.
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