The Golden Palace

author’s note:

December 6 is St. Nicholas Day.

I recently discovered: St. Nicholas is the patron saint not only of children, but also of sailors, prostitutes, brewers, wolves, and unmarried people.  As an unmarried person, I'd like to say, “Thank you, St. Nicholas, for looking out for us.”


THE GOLDEN PALACE

Her life as a poor peasant girl ended
the afternoon she stumbled and fell
while gathering wood

and awoke
to see the black forest blazing
with the light of a golden palace--
each stone in its edifice glowed.

This vision lasted an infinite moment

and then she woke again
into a darkness deepened
by the absence of that light--
she awoke knowing
she wouldn’t return to her old life--
she’d heard the claim of ancient stories:
    when you find the hidden entrance
    to the golden palace
    you will live as royalty!

Of course, a long journey is always required.
Nonetheless our woman did not hesitate
before she took the first step:

now the vague desire
that had irritated her for years
made sense--
she could finally rid herself
of that feeling of being out of place.

But like many other searchers
this woman gradually lost contact
with the heat of her desire.

The boredom she then felt
would frequently break
into storms of frustration.
But though these rages
left her heart exhausted
our heroine never thought
of quitting the hunt--
she knew enough stories to know
that any path that leads to splendor
requires enduring painful hardship.

No, she was not deterred
by briars, boars, or blistered feet.
Nor by angry winds that stripped trees
down to their skeletal limbs.
Nor by swarms of mosquitoes
that freckled her skin with their feasting.

She often felt shadows and ghosts
following her
and wanted to run
but instead
spoke to them as a friend.

Many times
a distant light turned out to be
only a mirage.
But she accepted these disappointments
as a natural part of finding home.

However
she did not fare so well
with the worst malady of all:
Doubt!

After many fevered days
and freezing nights
she began to wonder:
Shouldn't I be there by now?

At first she’d felt strong enough
to shut such questions down.
But famished and frazzled
she lost control of her worried mind:
Haven’t I earned admittance?
Is my dream a mere fantasy?

Finally she no longer bear
that burden of fear.

But this time when she tripped
Fortune landed her
on the bank of a stream.

The fall knocked those frantic thoughts
out of her head
and in that moment of clarity
she saw her reflection on the water
and for the first time in her life
perceived the golden blaze
deep down in her dark eyes.

The rippling water told her:
now you know where
the golden castle lives.

Perhaps you’ll ask:
did the woman really need to struggle
through all that mess
just to realize the obvious?

To that I would answer: yes.

And I’d also say: lucky her.

She’s learned what many others
who search the forest
have not yet learned.

And so she’s able to help them now--
help them to see
what it is they truly seek

and then help them realize
their misguided efforts
were not wasted--
that with each trial on this long trek
we add to our gold castle.

mythsteps · The Golden Palace

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