Triptych

Triptych

by Lorraine Schein

Alchemical images of uniting:
A king dissolving in water,
A dragon embracing a woman in a grave,
Two animals fighting.

I am the king, long drowned, dissolving in his watery kingdom-‑
I am the water dissolving you.

I am the dragon, embracing the lovely one in her grave, desired ingredient for his magic‑‑
I am the rotting corpse of the fair lady, finally loved.

I am the bloody animal, fangs bared, on top, winning the battle--
I am the animal below, haunches torn ‑‑ but ecstatic,
finding my own kind at last.

All love is linked incongruity,
Oddness and conflict.
True uniting: apparent disparity.

* * *

Lorraine Schein is a New York writer. Her work has appeared in Gargoyle, Strange Horizons, Nonbinary Review, Mad Scientist Journal, Evil Girlfriend Media, and the anthologies Gigantic Worlds, Drawn to Marvel, and Mosaics: An Anthology of Independent Women. Her poetry book, The Futurist’s Mistress, is available from mayapplepress.com.

What inspires you to write and keep writing?

I have written poetry since childhood, so it’s always come from a natural inner need to do so. I keep writing to continue to express that inner self and in the hope I can contribute something original to the world.

What do you think is the most important aspect of a fantasy story? 

For me as a poet, it’s the imagery, even in stories. The images in fantasy stories are what stay in my mind even many years later, and can become the basis for a new retelling.