When Pilgrim and the Spouse awake from bed
and step outside they're greeted by a ground
that's carpeted with verdant blades of grass,
the likes of which the two have never seen
within the Southern desert all their lives.
Nearby there is commotion, which they check
to find that almost all the village now
upon the morn is gather'd round one spot;
an alleyway in which the grass hath grown
so tall it towers over th'wooden huts 10
and seems, itself, to have a wooden skin
along its central shaft which makes its core,
around which needles green and much like grass
themselves are growing wide around the trunk
and narrowing atop the conifer
(for this is what they see but can not name
though trees of broader leaves our Pilgrim knows)
in cone-like fashion from its branching arms.
A larger man of stature reaches forth
to touch the tree, perceiving for himself 20
in disbelief at what his eyes present,
and when his fingers do caress the bark
to prove to him his eyes do not deceive
he jumps and clacks his heels speaking thus:
"It's wood! It truly is so marvellous!
A blessing from the Mother proving that
our culture is the properest of all,
and that our struggles have been worth our sweat."
At this our Pilgrim's stricken with a surge
that creeps along his spine and to his hip 30
where—taking what the Oracle bestow'd
to him those days ago fill'd with the spring's
abluting water—now he notices
the bottle weighs much lighter than it should;
uncapping lid to check th'interior,
his eye goes wide as tipping up the flask
he sees the water's gone, to which he says
to Spouse in whisper'd tone: "It must've leak'd
without our noticing, for all is gone
and this impossibility we see 40
is like to be th'result of magic drops
that seep'd into the earth to fertilize
the soil and create the life we see
in all its grandeur and its majesty."
To which the Spouse replies: "Then all is true
about the Owner's words of what the spring
is able to accomplish when applied
to earth; I had believ'd it all a lie
when twas revealed that she'd trick'd us with
her magic spell, inflicted by the pool. 50
But now I see she laced her lies with fact
and that this gift the order gave to us
was not another trick to take control
of thee from far away to do a task,
but was a genuine of articles."
They turn toward the scene again when comes
a smaller man approaching from around
the building's side from the adjacent street,
reporting to the larger one: "Sir Head,
just down the other street there lies a man 60
with sharpen'd teeth and ragged clothing worn
around his body, which is still and cold,
surrounded by the stain of blood that's soak'd
into the dirt from leakage in his throat"
The Headman takes this in and doth reply:
"With sharpen'd teeth and ragged clothes to wear?
A cannibal invaded town by night!
But who was here to put the beast to rest,
I ask of ye, my villagers, last night?"
The townsfolk look from one another with 70
bemusement, shrugging shoulders, shaking heads
whilst Headman turns to lay his eyes upon
each one before he stops at sighting Spouse
and Pilgrim standing near, whereat he says:
"The two of ye may be a charm of luck,
who came to rest the night which these events
occurr'd ere these discoveries at dawn;
you hush'd your voices earlier you spoke,
and though mine hearing's not what once it was,
I heard ye mention magic waters pour'd 80
upon our lands, which may explain the life
now sprouting from the barren desert ground,
and though I'm not a superstitious man,
th'occurrence of this spire form'd of wood
to coincide with th'whispers that you shar'd
does well convincing me you play'd a part
in this enrichment of our settlement—
which now I hope, experimenting, we'll
impregnate with a wealth of crops to feed
our young and tow'ring wood to build us out— 90
but also do I think the two of ye
did play a part defending us by night
and further fertilizing th'earth with blood
of th'enemy subsisting on our flesh
who lives above our village in the caves."
Surpris'd by this, protagonist responds
with shock'd expression in the stead of speech,
so Spouse instead replies to village Head:
"We do believe the grasses that have grown
resulted from the water that we bore 100
and seem t'have spill'd most likely on your land,
but we did play no part in fighting off
th'attacking cannibal in dark of night,
nor can it be explain'd why wooden grass
is growing in an alley untravers'd
by either of us during yesterday."
The Headman waves a massive hand through th'air
to push aside her argument and says:
"O pish and posh, no need to be so coy.
The killing of a cannibal is not 110
the same as murder; do not be concern'd
for punishment we may inflict on ye.
In fact, the death of such detestable
a creature's worthy of our recompense,
so I insist the two of ye attend
a supper in mine home my wife will cook
where I'll explain to ye the history
betwixt the village and the cannibals
whilst both of ye relay to me and mine
the stories of your travels on the road, 120
for coming here without a caravan
of guards and numbers to protect yourselves
and then to top it off defending us,
must mean the two of ye are made of hard
material which I should hope will rub
off on my children, still impression'ble."
To Pilgrim doth the Spouse now turn her gaze
to ask for his decision on this gift,
for this is his adventure, thus his choice
to make, and also—though she dothn't say— 130
she dothn't want to give affirmative
for lest her hero dothn't want to stay,
but also she's avoiding negative
because she wishes not t'offend the Head
who's kindly offering his table's seats.
Our Pilgrim—reading all of this in her—
now inwardly doth sigh, conceding with:
"Alright, what's but an extra day of wait?
Consider us your guests this single eve,
quite grateful for the opportunity 140
upon our laps you've given us to eat
inside your home and meet your cherish'd clan.
Entreating us took kindness flattering,
so who are we denying? Note, though, we
can stay for but this single evening's sup
ere we must move along upon the morn.
Not that we wouldn't like to stay for more;
continuing, however, is how we've
elected to progress toward our goal,
instead of staying long at ev'ry rest." 150
Long-winded as this is, upon its end—
erupting in a wild roar of cheer—
the Headman clasps his giant hands upon
their shoulders, pulling them into his chest
which causes tears to well in Pilgrim's eye
for both his nostrils are inhaling now
the depths of underarm that's drench'd in sweat
so sour that he holds his breath and still
cannot escape the pungency of them.
The Head releases them and barks to those 160
who're gather'd round the scene to go about
their daily lives as usual now that
th'excitement should be done at least somewhat
before informing both of them: "I shall
go tell my wife to set two extra plates
this eve, and once I do the deal's done,
for if you back out after she's been told
you'll never have another night of rest!"
The Head guffaws and with a jump and clack
of heels once again, doth he depart 170
to leave our Spouse and Pilgrim wond'ring if
th'invader's death's somehow indicative
of haunted sleep already they possess,
to which they—lovers jesting whispers—laugh. 174