To Catch a Shyling

If ye would catch a Shyling,

          Walk ye soft, and speak ye low;

Step ye with a butterfly’s steps,

          Whisper ye with the breeze;

If ye would win a Shyling’s heart,

          Be prepared: the road is long,

The path lies through unseen woods

          And twists through haunted vales;

If ye would love a Shyling,

          Brace yeself; it’s scars run deep,

It has known fear, it has known fate,

          It has walked in the night of dreams.

If ye would ensnare a Shyling,

          And crush it in thy grasp—

Better ye to bite a dragon’s tail,

          Or steal a tiger’s claw.


8:36 AM 5/14/08 © Jamie S.