A hollow home defies

The leering eyes of storms,

Frostbitten and scorched

Waterlogged and overgrown

–

The scarred matriarch was carved

Out of auburn wood,

Before battle lines flamed

And kings parceled the earth

–

 The hollowed palace is alive

With feral royalty,

Given back to the forest

Still vain in its ruins  

–

Begrudgingly she sinks

In a whirlpool of seasons

Still pulsing with life

As the reeds crane higher