The Unicorn in Captivity

There, woven on a lea of columbine
and dandelion, rosy dragonwort
and thistle, in a paddock they confine
a unicorn, the victim of their sport.

But look, contentment masks his noble face
while pomegranate stains his lily flank.
He recollects the drama of the chase
but wonders not what looms beyond the bank.

So happy are the ones that love has caught
and chained the heart and throat with golden locks.
How quickly love can warp and dye their thought
and blind them to the subtle paradox.

So may we all enjoy captivity,
but not the shackle yanked with enmity.

J. Davidson Hero is the pen name of John David Rose. John's writing has been published on various websites including Every Day Poets, Anotherealm, Aphelion: The Webzine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Creator and the Catalyst, and Kalkion. Seven of his short stories have been included in the anthology Flash of Aphelion. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife and their three children.

Find more by J. Davidson Hero in the Author Index.

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.