“The Willow Queen” by Elizabeth Cagle

The Willow Queen

There stands a lady slim and fair

Upon a hill by the silver trail 

Her tresses hang to thinning ends

Swaying like grass in a gentle wind

Beneath her leafy boughs we spy 

A sweet figure playing, young and spry

Collapsing on the shaded earth

With limbs splayed and a look of mirth 

Eyes cast upward see green and brown 

Render these soon a tree queen with crown 

For if you come with a child’s intent 

You may see appear from the trunk’s rent

The Willow Queen with regal air

Shows laughing eyes and long flowing hair 

With a branch scepter she stands tall

Although only the innocent see her at all 

Kindly she rules in her green hollow 

In such ways that none hate to follow

And how children must grin in glee 

Her squire in ruling this land to be

For in green cages oft we find 

Kingdoms ruled by our smaller kind

But to those living in worldly scenes

The Willow Queen is scarcely ever seen 

Oh how in haste we often miss 

The things on which humanity subsists

Like the lady fair upon the hill

In whose heart The Willow Queen is still 

Elizabeth is a 3rd year English Major from Madison, Georgia. Elizabeth grew up in a rural area, and learned from an early age to use books and words to experience the world beyond her reach. As an English major she has always believed firmly in the importance of literature. However, it was not until recently that she began using words to express her own thoughts and experiences. She is new to the writing world and hopes that others will enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoyed writing it.