Such myths, so pervasive, so all consuming,
may contain elements of the imaginary,
but are, as surely, based upon truths
whose origins are ancient,
and whose iterations
have held the attention
of numerous peoples.
Ubiquitous in time and place
we have been enthralled by their power,
absorbed by the intensity
of the feelings they have generated.
Portions have been forgotten, repressed,
but like a dream, they bubble
insensibly to the surface.
There is no doubt, for instance, that one Beauty,
of whom we speak,
has been aware of the dangers inherent
in a relationship with the Beast.
It had, in fact, in no uncertain terms,
been delineated, clearly, concisely,
in the notepad that she carries in her purse
for such cerebrations;
and has analyzed
not merely her own propensities,
but all possible complications
and drawbacks of such a union.
For example: the difficulties of concupiscence,
some question as to the compatibility
of genitalia, of congruency,
and juxtaposition.
She had even considered
the possibility of the need for some tetanus toxoid
in case she was scratched
by his remarkable claws, or
her body ripped, in the heat
of passion, by the sharp
projecting canines that he sported.
What struck her most forcefully,
although only later, in retrospect,
was the ease with which they
got past the formalities, and the foreplay;
and if, fortuitously,
he were transformed in her mind
into something a little less awful,
could that not have been the result
of some clandestine appetite?
some unexpressed need to demonstrate a sense of order
amongst the perturbations of chaos?
a realization that fulfillment
of a satisfactory nature
can be achieved
definitively, undeniably,
and simply, solely, by justification of the morality of a story?
When the time came, all
was of course perfect.
She dreamed her prince;
He licked blood from his fingers.