Two young men
Joined by blood
And brotherhood;
Enter the forest
Full of strange noises
And darkness,
Curious of what lay beyond
Those bedraggled vines

The eldest went forth
Both boastful and brave,
The younger thought him
A careless hot-headed knave

The younger in years
By aged in hard work;
Went in the haze
With respect for this
Massive world,
Full of sharp corners
And slip-knot traps

The eldest went left;
Horrific sounds came from within
Both fierce and wild,
Proclaiming his skill
In hunting big game

The younger went right;
Hearing sweet song birds
Through thickets of thorns,
He drew a smooth bone knife
Carefully cutting each
Thorn-coated vine,
Slow was the work
But great the reward

Even as they cut him
Him continued on,
Hearing the birds’
Magnificent song,
Their chorus was his coach
Cheering him on

The last of the dreadful vines
Fell harmless away,
Revealing to the younger
The fruits of his venture

The clearing was divine;
Thick carpets of grass spread wide
Over the soft ground,
Padding of moss lined the edge
Of a clear water pond,
Lilies floated at the brink
Their white petals unblemished

Limbs of aged wood stretch high
Displaying thick heads
Of deep green hair,
Here the birds perch
Singing their song,
Telling the world
Of this sacred haven

~~~~~~~~~

The eldest trudged on
His mind weary from tire,
And he spied a gnarled tree
Bent with age,
And leaned against it
For his body was weak

In his tired state
He slept long and deep,
Until he heard
Sweet humming,
He awakened
With drooping eyes
And a foggy mind

Standing at the edge
Of the murky pool,
Was a woman young
And fair,
Her eyes a blue so deep
And milky skin so smooth

The eldest rose up
As the woman watched him,
And he saw the way
Her waist curved,
The way her eyes shone

He desired her
As many had before,
And approached her,
She smiled and retreated
Closer to the edge of the pool

The eldest followed her
Until his boot tips were
Partially submerged,
She leaned in close to him
Her lips curled in a triumphant smile,
And pressed her mouth to his

He was overcome with desire
And held her slim form to his,
But she was not as she seemed
And a chill grew within him,
She grasped his tanned arms
In her pale hands,
Her nails biting deep into his skin
Though the eldest did not notice,
For he had already been snared
In her clever scheme

The eldest began to change;
His good looks and youth
Melting away,
She swallowed it all
Taking his beauty to add to her own

His eyes lost their luster
His fullness becoming warped,
His hair became lank
Hanging loosely around his face,
She swallowed it all
As one would a fine drink

~~~~~~~~~

The youngest kneeled
By the pool side,
And cupped his hands
To dip for a drink,
The water was clear and sweet
Washing dust from his mouth

Not only were there ancient trees
But fruit bearing trees,
So many he could not count
And he filled his stomach,
He was content and tired
From his efforts,
And reclined on the soft moss
To nap in his haven

~~~~~~~~~~~

The youngest went on
Cutting away many vines,
To find more havens
And reveal new worlds

~~~~~~~~~~~

The eldest lived on in his clearing
Of darkness,
His eyes filled with a mad light
Absent of all meaning,
He never again saw his brother
Or any true person in fact

The demon woman came to him
Each new moon,
And every time she sucked
His strength and mind,
Ravishing his despair
As he pined for her each day

The eldest savored each visit
Basking in her beauty,
As she seduced him into stupor
And sucked him away,
Leaving a desire crazed shell
Hooked on attractive lies

©2011