Red
Elizabeth Schmidt
Careful woodsman, guide my steps,
for I am lost and far from home.
There are wolves round ev’ry corner,
I feel frightened and alone.
When I set out upon this journey,
The sun was shining in the trees.
I never dreamt how dark it was,
Once deep inside those leafy halls.
My dress was clean and pressed and white,
I was fresh and full of hope.
I donned a cloak of sanguine hue,
To signify my true intent.
I set my feet upon the road,
To walk the path well-used by girls,
Who run away to change themselves,
To shed the innocence of youth.
I was shy but without fear,
My eyes cast awestruck at the sky.
As the branches closed o’er head,
And hid the sun away from me.
This place was strange, but full of wonder,
Of things I’d never seen before.
They flitted just beyond my reach,
Tempting in the darkness there.
Soon my vision became accustomed,
To this dark and twisted wood,
Until the outside world seemed bright,
And the light was harsh to me.
That is when I left the path,
Chasing some sweet glimmer there,
To find it was a cunning trap,
To lure me deeper in their world.
Once I was off the beaten trail,
I turned to find my tracks were gone,
And spun around, now quite confused,
Looking for any sign of home.
The beasts growled low, they licked their lips,
Shifting restless in the brush.
Their lusty eyes now lit the wood,
And marked the folly of my ways.
I ran and fell and screamed and ran.
The thorns tore at my pretty dress.
Feet bare, and stained with dirt and worse.
Red cloak was no protection here.
My eyes grew wild and lost their spark.
My voice was lost to ragged cries.
‘Til I was nothing more than wolf,
Dressed in scarlet shreds of wool.
I wandered feral for so long,
That I forgot what I once was:
A girl - not a beast myself,
With appetites both weird and vile.
The moon was full of silver light,
When He came walking in the woods:
A man of quiet confidence,
Who knew the ways of this dark land.
I followed hungry and entranced.
He led me to a crystal pool,
And as I crouched behind to pounce,
I chanced a glance into the water.
I stood transfixed with eyes held wide,
To see the creature I’d become.
A wail ripped free from open mouth,
To warn Him of his coming doom.
He was brave and did not flinch,
As I leapt with claws outstretched,
To grasp at this, the thing I craved,
What I had lost so long ago.
He did not fight, He did not speak.
Just held firm against the storm.
Until the fury ran its course,
And left me broken at His feet.
He picked me up and brushed me off.
He stroked the hair back from my face.
He smiled and coaxed me with his eyes.
He taught me how to walk again.
When I took those first weak steps,
He let me fight for my own worth,
Knowing that to carry me,
Would not return the skills I’d lost.
When I reached out to grasp his hand,
He nodded once and led the way.
I did not ask where we were bound,
It was enough to be with Him.
Careful woodsman, guide my steps,
for I am lost and far from home.
There are wolves round ev’ry corner
I feel frightened and alone.