Poem: "Everything Happens for a Reason"
Feb. 8th, 2025 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the February 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "Morning-after Regrets" square in my 2-1-25 card for the Valentines Bingo fest and the "And I'm the monster?" square in my 10-1-24 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Quixotic Ideas. It directly follows "The Separation of Powers," so read that first or this won't make any sense.
"Everything Happens for a Reason"
They had flown for much of the night
to escape the centaurs who had
tried to enslave the two of them.
Luntian had taken an arrow
through her left wing, but
she had plucked it out and
healed supernaturally fast.
A forest clearing offered
them a refuge at last.
Datu managed to get
just a few hours of sleep
before birdsong woke him.
Luntian looked down at
him, her body back in
its usual configuration.
"Are you ... having
morning-after regrets?"
Luntian asked him warily.
"Life is too short to wake up
in the morning with regrets,
so love the people who treat
you right, forget about those who
don't, and believe that everything
happens for a reason," Datu said.
"Most people would be angry
that we had to fly so far away,"
said Luntian. "It's a concern."
"We needed to escape, and
you got us away," said Datu.
"If you get a chance, take it.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be
easy, they just promised
that it would be worth it."
"Do you think this has
been worth it?" she said.
"Considering the alternative
would involve an auction block,
this is definitely worth it," he said.
"Then the question is what to do
now," said Luntian. "I am too tired
to fly any more for a while, but we
could walk in search of a road."
"That's probably a good idea,"
said Datu. "I can't go back home,
though -- I'm afraid that someone
at the school may have told
the centaurs about me."
Luntian sighed. "Likely
I was betrayed as well,"
she said. "Most humans
don't like me much, so they
think that sort of thing is fine.
And I'm the monster?"
Datu reached out and
covered her shaking hands
with his own. "You are not
a monster," he said firmly.
"You saved me yesterday."
"You saved me too," she said.
"I doubt I could have escaped
from the centaurs by myself.
I'm not used to people actually
helping me and ... meaning it."
"I see you, and you're not alone,"
said Datu. "So once we find a road
or a trail or something, let's figure out
where we should go next, together."
"I grew up moving around from
one city to another, but I've heard
of bagwis villages in the mountains,"
said Luntian. "We could look for them."
"All right, that sounds good to me,"
said Datu. "I bet they don't have
many problems with slavers!"
"Well ... not for long, anyway,"
Luntian said with a laugh.
* * *
Notes:
"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."
-- Harvey Mackay
janetmiles. It also fills the "Morning-after Regrets" square in my 2-1-25 card for the Valentines Bingo fest and the "And I'm the monster?" square in my 10-1-24 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Quixotic Ideas. It directly follows "The Separation of Powers," so read that first or this won't make any sense."Everything Happens for a Reason"
They had flown for much of the night
to escape the centaurs who had
tried to enslave the two of them.
Luntian had taken an arrow
through her left wing, but
she had plucked it out and
healed supernaturally fast.
A forest clearing offered
them a refuge at last.
Datu managed to get
just a few hours of sleep
before birdsong woke him.
Luntian looked down at
him, her body back in
its usual configuration.
"Are you ... having
morning-after regrets?"
Luntian asked him warily.
"Life is too short to wake up
in the morning with regrets,
so love the people who treat
you right, forget about those who
don't, and believe that everything
happens for a reason," Datu said.
"Most people would be angry
that we had to fly so far away,"
said Luntian. "It's a concern."
"We needed to escape, and
you got us away," said Datu.
"If you get a chance, take it.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be
easy, they just promised
that it would be worth it."
"Do you think this has
been worth it?" she said.
"Considering the alternative
would involve an auction block,
this is definitely worth it," he said.
"Then the question is what to do
now," said Luntian. "I am too tired
to fly any more for a while, but we
could walk in search of a road."
"That's probably a good idea,"
said Datu. "I can't go back home,
though -- I'm afraid that someone
at the school may have told
the centaurs about me."
Luntian sighed. "Likely
I was betrayed as well,"
she said. "Most humans
don't like me much, so they
think that sort of thing is fine.
And I'm the monster?"
Datu reached out and
covered her shaking hands
with his own. "You are not
a monster," he said firmly.
"You saved me yesterday."
"You saved me too," she said.
"I doubt I could have escaped
from the centaurs by myself.
I'm not used to people actually
helping me and ... meaning it."
"I see you, and you're not alone,"
said Datu. "So once we find a road
or a trail or something, let's figure out
where we should go next, together."
"I grew up moving around from
one city to another, but I've heard
of bagwis villages in the mountains,"
said Luntian. "We could look for them."
"All right, that sounds good to me,"
said Datu. "I bet they don't have
many problems with slavers!"
"Well ... not for long, anyway,"
Luntian said with a laugh.
* * *
Notes:
"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."
-- Harvey Mackay
