Dante's Heart
Megan Arkenberg
Her Majesty's Servant
She knew full well
he wouldn’t do it:
wouldn’t take cold steel
to warm white flesh:
wouldn’t take a maiden’s heart
unless she offered it willingly.
If she asked him to serve her,
she knew he would—the heart
of a wild beast.
She knew full well
the price of disobedience
and what it was a Queen must do
to gentle huntsmen
who wouldn’t follow orders.
She knew full well
her place in his heart; and when
he returned from the forest,
she made herself listen
and smile at his lies. And,
because she loved him,
she did not ask for proof.
Her Majesty's Servant
She knew full well
he wouldn’t do it:
wouldn’t take cold steel
to warm white flesh:
wouldn’t take a maiden’s heart
unless she offered it willingly.
If she asked him to serve her,
she knew he would—the heart
of a wild beast.
She knew full well
the price of disobedience
and what it was a Queen must do
to gentle huntsmen
who wouldn’t follow orders.
She knew full well
her place in his heart; and when
he returned from the forest,
she made herself listen
and smile at his lies. And,
because she loved him,
she did not ask for proof.
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