Jane Yolen
The spindle whirls, the story turns,
The siren warns he must not spy.
But man is born to disobey:
A wandering heart, a wishful eye.
Do not peek in, or see me bare
With water diamonds in my hair,
Beware, my lovely man, beware.
He hopes to catch her in the bath,
He looks, he peeks, she is no maid,
She turns and sees his lustful gaze.
She is not shy nor much afraid.
Do not peek in, or see me bare
With water diamonds in my hair,
Beware, my lovely man, beware.
You did not listen, did not hear,
You will your will of me, she cries,
But in your haste, a wasteland make,
The love between us curls and dies.
For look, I am no simple girl,
I am a serpent maid, she said,
Then with a smile, and forking tongue,
She turned on him and struck him dead.
You peeked within. You saw me bare,
With water diamonds in my hair,
You did not listen, did not care.
On silent wings, she left him there.
***
Jane Yolen’s 380th published book is about to come out. She sends out poems to journals on a regular basis and has quite a few in sf/fantasy magazines as well. She is a Grand Master of SFPA (Science Fiction/Fantasy Poets of America), as well as a Grandmaster of SFWA and World Fantasy Assn. She has won the Nebula two times, Mythopoeic Award three times, and been nominated (but never won) for the Hugo several times. Six colleges & universities have given her honorary doctorates for her body of work.