My Old Love

Press play before reading. Salute.

(A lone voice whispers)

A long time ago

By the Hiwassee fast-flowing river in Tanasqui

I met at a mysterious meeting place

A wild-eyed beautiful crow haired Cherokee

Her name 

If I remember right was Ghigau 

Who's inner beauty shone right out

A courageous beloved war woman 

Bestowed with so much community and family responsibility

That she beat death more than five times just to give the Devil 

A wide smile and a big bow

To keep her tribe safe

We sat talking as Father Time 

Stopped every second from walking

Discussed life

Magic

Love 

And so much more 

But then Father Time invoked every second to go back stalking

And as we were forced tragically to part our ways

We both held each other's bleeding hands and swore a blood oath to carry through time

To remember how we first met 

On that very day 

And to never forget that something special we started

That was in 1584 when I was only twenty-four 

Ghigau left and found a new life upstream 

In the mighty Appalachians

As part of one of the Great Nations and I sailed North 

To rebuild a new life

With stronger foundations

Now I'm immortal and can look back through Times many portals

I can still see Ghigau smiling with her stunning horse

White Glory

Strolling through the fields of green 

By the Hiwassee fast-flowing river in Tanasqui

I can only hope she's happy

In here somewhere

But sadly still lost to me 

In this Great In-Between 

As she too because of our blood oath

Still thinks of me

Copyright John Duffy