agnes, the forgotten beauty

come all, young and old,
        come closer and hear this story.
some say it was love and passion,
        some say it was fame and glory.

it starts with a man,
        who started as a boy,
whose love was a fierce flame
        no heart could employ.

the girl was pretty and skinny,
        after all the food she ate.
she was to remain forever captive,
        unless love could change such fate.

the hero's name was eric,
        after the glorious kings of sweden,
and all the women in his land
        had been to him forbidden.

one day, someone said agnes
       was the heart no one could tame,
that the king had made her prisoner
        and outlawed her cursed name.

the hero and his group,
        as loyal as friends can be,
agreed on an ambitious heist
        to set the imprisoned lady free.

upon arriving on the scene,
        the king's guards awaited them all.
not enough was the dark cover of the night
        to make their presence insignificantly small.

"open these gates" - said the valiant hero,
        "or kill us one by one!
the evil doings of your reign of terror
        will be tonight undone!"

the king replied "calm yourself, foolish man!
        her love has never been mine,
after a lifetime of blinded devotion.
        go, and meet your valentine!"

but many years have gone by,
        the brightful youth did not wait.
agnes had suffered the flow of time,
        her mind trapped in a delusional state.

she had wrinkles on her face,
        the eyes have lost complete sight.
her hands trembled from disease
        as she brushed her hair turned white.

a witch once said to her
        "you will be forever young,
unless to die is your deepest desire
        because in here you don't belong."

so has she patiently waited,
        for darkness to carry her home,
and she would greet it with a tender kiss,
        and she would be no more alone.

but eric saw no age,
        he saw agnes in her best,
red lips and toned skin,
        his heart tried to burst his chest.

but desire and illusions
        do not paint a very nice tale.
her life slipped through her eyes,
        the body rested frozen and pale.

thus remained, in respectful silence,
        all the men standing there.
thus each wondering in their own mind
        "is ever life true and fair?"

are we left waiting for love
        to come by some special day?
do we promise never again
        will we love when it's away?

there are questions, but no answers,
        there is love and uncertainty.
it is only on the verge of death
        that we see life beautifully.