Night Crown

Night Crown

Orange light fades with the sun as it sets,
Lights twinkle and dance in the darkening sky.
The creatures come out, one by one to greet their day.
Large, small, sleek and grotesque.
From far and wide they gather together,
Circling each other, keeping to the darkest of shadows.
Chanting in guttural voices ‘til they blend into a single shout.
They call her forth.
They call her name.
Summoning their Queen of this night to them.

They chant their spell,
Magic swirls and there she is,
Walking delicately, barefoot through the night;
Her sheer black nightgown flowing about her.
Inside the circle she looks at the creatures.
They’re her dream, her nightmare and yet she cannot leave.
Their chants a rhythmic music moving deep inside.
Trance-like and scared she dances.

The creatures cheer and call for her crown.
In graceful motions, she dances and dances,
Until she can no more.
She falls to the ground, onto her knees,
Her head bowed to the creatures
They come closer, then shriek and swarm around her,
Backing away they reveal their Queen.
Unchanged except for the twining black crown adoring her head.
She rises to her feet and begins her dance anew.

They dance and chant with her,
Their nightly ritual almost complete.
They danced until the shadows fade to blue.
Then slink back into the receding darkness,
Their hisses fading to static,
The noise sending their Queen back home.
With one final twirl her dance is done,
The Queen walks away from her subjects into the rising light,
Her black crown turning to dust and mist.