Prospero

the tale of Prospero Vain

not quite the tale of Dorian Gray

but this man was held the cord when it comes to being vain

in the mirror morning and night and he stood there for years

trying to get what isn't what we expected 

no face in the water reflections

no jumping in water to catch himself

hell, he couldn't find more of himself to display in front of the maids

he tried, oh he tried

to find his mate, but how could he when all he did was look at himself vainly

all day everyday

stuck, in a rut, no hope, hopeless

but the story lingers on for he does find his maiden faire

she was everything a man could imagine

her beauty was fair, her eyes projecting through objects, it seemed

he could fall in love with her ten times a day, in different settings, different hours of the sun

Prospero was just a humble man, and to him, she was a Goddess

something out of Greek tragedy, a princess who would never let go 

Even out of the Shakespearean time, a modern day Romeo to an obvious Juliet

When can this love stop? Will it ever?

Him and her walk to the boardwalk and the bay and hold hands and kissed,

Prospero was no longer vain, for he found his exact image in her in himself

he was looking into the mirror, every time he saw her

so what did he do?

he went home and took a small sledgehead hammer

and he smashed the mirror to pieces

7 years bad luck. and the mirror lay, in pieces and he left and locked the door

the carriage came and his baby awaited, they would have children no doubt

and live off the land, growing herbs and tomatoes and everything a garden would have

and it would be peace

and he would grow old and his kids would comfort him 

and the life he wished and wanted and would enjoy

but she wasn't in the carriage

only her father and he looked in pain

"there's been an accident" 

and there was a picture of her in his hands

she had hung herself

over nothing, over a thought that would go away in a  second

but her depression was too much, even in love

the father wept. and Prospero yelled to the heavens. 

not words but just tongues, he couldn't speak and he wouldn't

so what did Prospero do?

he went to where the mirror was smashed 

kicked down the locked door

and grabbed the  biggest piece of mirror that laid

he held it into the light, tears falling to the floor

and he slashed his left wrist then his right

then his throat, and blood splattered on the walls

and tears fall to the ground as does blood

and he fell back into the blood and her father yelled more and lifted him up

but he was too weak and couldn't lift the man

and blood oozed

the only thing that the family upstair had heard

were the meadowlarks in the sky

Romeo and Juliet, in vain