Once upon a Time
by Jaime Lee Moyer

Once upon a time,
He ran.

Two steps ahead of the hangman and
One short step ahead of the mob,
His leather bag of charms and
A crystal he used to scry
The fortunes of ungrateful Dukes,
All he could save.

Once upon a time,
He found a friend.

Then grappled with his conscience 
When she offered sanctuary,
Hid him under melons
In her market cart,
And charmed a guard at the gates
With promises she'd never keep.

Once upon a time,
He took a leap of faith.

Stopped peering through the haze
At all the days ahead,
Sold off his crystal flake by flake,
Small trinkets for other men's wives,
Content to live life as it came
Without the need of guarantees.

After a lifetime in California, Jaime Lee Moyer recently relocated to the wilds of Ohio. She writes books and stories as well as poetry. In her spare time, she is an associate editor for Ideomancer Speculative Fiction. Her poetry will be published later this year in Strong Verse, Star*Line, Between Kisses, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry and Aeon Speculative Fiction.