Poetry Hut Blog

For my sister, Intissar, and for Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Once upon a time

when crows flocked to the illuminated clouds of dreams, gold jingled
with midnight and the cooled sky sustained this wildness. But soon
came the reign of the Evil King, and his dazed kingdom had nursed far too long

on bad tidings presented as medicine, to be taken as the eye accepts a magic trick,
gladly. And so, in the beds of the kingdom, the troubled sleepers were as tight buds,
and even their dreaming could not unfurl the worries pressed upon them

by the Evil King. For his heart was a dark labyrinth. For he was drunk
on his inheritances, and so the hearts of his Evil Court did become intoxicated
also on this syrupy poison, and so the heart of the Evil King quickened

at the chance to spread its sickness. And did quicken at the chance
to spread war and fright. And so the people of the kingdom became
sorely afraid, and so the dreams of the troubled sleepers shuddered.

For since the dreams of the sleeping kingdom did not now hold even one
golden thread or one embroidered canopy, the Queen of the Dream Crows
did speak, Caw! for the Queen was a wise Queen and a generous Queen

and she wanted her flock to prosper. The people of the kingdom do suffer.
The dreams of this sleeping kingdom, we must restore. We must restore
their peaceful sleep and again we can gather our dream treasure. Caw!

And so at great speed the Queen ordered her flock to fly.
And so the flock arrived at the hidden-yet-glittering storehouse
of the Dream Crows. With the care of a drought-stricken bird,

each crow pecked up one bright and shiny mirror. And with them
they flew. Each crow to the troubled kingdom. Back to the Evil King.
Each crow flew above the sorrowful dreams of the sleepers.

And oh, the night-birds gathered at the palace of the Evil King.
And oh, the night-birds placed the mirrors around the Evil King.
Caw! spoke the Queen, let us wait to see him awaken; he will see

the truth of his wicked heart in our mirrors. Caw! And it came to pass
that in the morning the Evil King traveled back from the land of dreams.
And the Dream Crows shook their blue-black feathers.

But oh, the Evil King’s heart was as a shriveled pea, and much too small
for him to see. And oh, the hearts of the birds, their own good hearts,
fell. And yet there was not one sound. My flock ““ Caw! then spoke the Queen,

let us, ourselves, sleep. The work of the day is carried by the kingdom,
so let us try again to-night. Caw! And while the Dream Crows slept,
the drivers of the kingdom drove their cars. The writers of the kingdom

filled their books. The musicians of the kingdom hung their music in the air.
And while the Dream Crows slept, it was as if the people of the kingdom
woke from a long journey in the land of dreams. So that when, in the night,

when the crows flocked to the illuminated clouds of dreams, they found gold again jingled
with the midnight and again the cooled sky. At first, scattered bits of glitter but
becoming once again tightly-woven. Caw! the Queen of the Dream Crows

did speak, for the Queen was a wise Queen and a good Queen. The Evil King could not see
his own evil heart. But as when dreams bestow unto sleepers bits of treasure to use
during their work of the day, in our mirrors the people of the kingdom surely saw the truth

of the Evil King’s heart, and this was also a treasure unto them. In all amongst you,
can any one bird tell me, in amongst all the stories from amongst all the lands,
has there ever been an Evil King who ruled forever? Keep this in your heart. Caw!