Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Treasure of Sroda Slaska


PLEASE CLICK ON THE ADDRESS BELOW BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER!
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/07/please.html

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WRITERS' ISLAND
http://writersisland.wordpress.com/
Topic 'Treasure'

THE TREASURE OF SRODA SLASKA!

Blanche of Valois what were you like
In the days when you wore this crown?
Were you tall or were you short
And were your eyes blue or brown?
Were you happy to be a Queen
Or were your problems weighty?
Did you die from the dreadful plague
Or live till you were eighty?
Your crown was dug-up  in recent times
With other artifacts
In the town of Sroda Slaska
But we don't know many facts.
We believe the Emperor Charles the Fourth
Pawned the treasure to pay his debts,
But then the plague came to Poland,
So that's as close as it gets.
I imagine your coronation, Blanche.
Was the crown heavy on your head?
Did you look at Charles adoringly
Or with a look of dread?
The crown is just dead metal now,
Beautiful though it is.
But it was warmed by your human warmth
The day you became his.
You were as living as I am, Blanche,
So, in that, we are both the same.
But you once wore the ermine
And trod the paths of fame.
Blanche of Valois what were you like
In the days when you wore this crown?
Were you tall or were you short
And were your eyes blue or brown?
*
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FRUIT BOWL
(A cinquain)

Fruit.
Piled, juicy.
Reflecting, shining, appetising.
Cradled in a bowl.
Succulence.
*

10 comments:

Unknown said...

An interesting piece. I often wonder about the lives that lie behind the treasure we see. Even after they have been researched I wonder about the impact that the treasure had on the people around them.

I really enjoyed this.

flaubert said...

This was an enjoyable piece.
I have often wondered about royalty and what they felt or feel.
Pamela

Darlene said...

I signed the petition. Stoning is medieval and barbaric. Unbelievable that it still happens in this day and age. Doubly so because it is done in the name of religion. Shocking!

Blanche probably had more than her share of misery. If Charles pawned her crown, it shows how little he cared for her. Or maybe he was just stupid and got in debt doing dumb things. Either way, Blanche must have suffered.

vivienne blake said...

A fascinating poem, skilfully written. Thankyou.

Elizabeth said...

I once did a study of Sophia, Regent of Russia and sister to Peter the great. Her name means wisdom and she established several far reaching policies that were later credited to her younger brother. When he came to the throne, he killed her lover, hung him from the tree outside the window of the convent cell to which she had been banished, stripped of even her name, until her death.The research was difficult because the only piece of information one could find about her at the time, was that she was grossly overweight, and had a wart of her face that sprouted hair. There are so many ways to 'stone' a woman.

Stan Ski said...

Royal treasure usually has a story behind it, and often it's a atory of war.

Robert Lloyd said...

I like that you look beyond the treasure to the person who owned it. We always see the gold and the gems and make assumptions of the people who have them, but do we really know them. Nice piece thank you for sharing.

Wayne Pitchko said...

nicely writtena and thanks for sharing your words

Jingle said...

a treasure that is hidden yet to be found by mindful soul such as you.
pleasure poem!

http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/i-want-2-bee-worthy-of-this-waking-dream/

here is mine!

Anonymous said...

thank for sharing the poem, it is very well written :D