NaPM April 3, 2018

[Leanne]

The Countess

There is much talk 
about blood and beauty
but I - woman, mother, lover -
am not swayed by such shallow
desires

I was beautiful when
I saw my father sew a thief
into the belly of a dying horse,
then return to table for a feast

I was beautiful when
my lover was castrated
and fed to dogs by the man
I was leaving home to marry

I was beautiful when 
my soldier husband practiced
the defeat of his enemies
upon my flesh

and yes, I was beautiful when
the young girls began their procession
through my home, through my bed
and through my teeth

a woman is nothing but blood and beauty
until both are drained from her
and she is lost to history

I am not lost.  I am Elizabeth.