Ellie's Poetry

At the Back of Beyond
The Charm Workers
Dialog Between Lovers
Each Kiss Is More Intense
Early Morning Musings
An Encounter
Eyes
Friends
The Human Spirit
I Know Who You Are
Kites Are Up!
Legacy
Opening Gambit
Stallion Run
Tears
The Truth
Your Touch

All original fiction and poetry are the property of the authors and are subject to copyright laws, as well as other laws, including, but not limited to, other applicable state, federal, territorial and international laws and treaties. You are granted permission to print these pages or save to a file on your computer for personal use only. No other use is permissible, except where otherwise specified in writing or where the author's prior express written consent has been obtained. Any other use of the materials, including, but not limited to, distribution, modification, reproduction, publication, transmission, participation in the transfer of or sale of, performance, creation of derivative works, or in any other way, the use of which results in the exploitation of any of the materials, in whole or in part, for uses other than those expressly permitted herein, is strictly forbidden. The characters of Xena: Warrior Princess are the property of Renaissance Pictures, Universal MCA, and who knows who else. Any use by an author herein is not intended to infringe on the copyright holders of the characters.

Revised: December 28, 2000

Haiku

Odes to Xena Warrior Princess

	AT THE BACK OF BEYOND

	On a rocky coast at the back of beyond relentless waves steadily pound - surging; churning up icy spray. No calm clear pond, the heaving sea crashes. The sky is misty, wild, and gray. Man does not come to this place of magic - of sylkies and faeries; and sea nymphs, tragic. Wizards hold here with crystal and fire - elves and sprites with pan flute and lyre. The tales of men, the charms, the lore, begin back of beyond on a storm washed shore.
	© Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 3/11/2000

	THE CHARM WORKERS

	Faeries and wizards worked their magic, deep in caverns far from light; through the hours when men were sleeping, unearthly fires blazed by night. It was a place no man could enter - neither woman, neither child; enchanted creatures alone gained entrance to this charmed province, strange and wild. So by night their hexes conjured, they strove to cast hate from the land; then they slipped away till summoned, should man require their guiding hand.
	© Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 3/24/2000

	DIALOG BETWEEN LOVERS

	Xena An icy feeling comes over me as I sit alone It is not the deep cold of the Winter wind, although it blows, chilly and damp around me. It is the frozen state of my soul. A dark depression settles over me as I again review the deeds that made me The Destroyer of Nations. How can I atone?? Nothing can undo what I have done. My throat is raw from swallowing tears And finally, bitterly, they come. The thought that pierces my heart comes to my mind unbidden. She loves a lie. The woman she loves, the do-gooder, the champion, is a sham. A fake. How can she love me? How? Gabrielle I did not follow her this time because I know she needs to be alone. Impossible though it seems, she gets more quiet, Until I feel like I'm babbling to compensate. That look comes into her eyes and they change from blue to a somber gray. I know that she is hurting, and that I cannot take the hurt away. I can only be here for her when she returns, and, accepting all she was and is, show her that she is worth loving, worth saving. Worth everything to me. Xena She has fallen asleep waiting for me, sitting up against Argo's saddle. I tried not to wake her but - those eyes are on me now. She doesn't say a word but fits herself against me and starts a slow caressing. I wonder, does she know how her touch heals me? Now she whispers, her lips on mine, words I desperately need to hear. Tears fall and she catches them on her tongue. I brokenly tell her not to love me, but she hushes me. Tenderly, she cradles me in her arms. The iciness in my heart fades, exchanged for the warmth that is my Gabrielle.
	© Ellie Maziekien 5/16/2000

	EACH KISS IS MORE INTENSE

	I want all of you; I cannot get enough. Each kiss is more intense as your touch goes deep, sending me into a whirlwind of sensation. The passion we share makes me weep hot, helpless tears of joy. Those amazing eyes, so cold and forbidding when shuttered against the world, are clear, warm and wide open to me. With a calloused thumb you catch and gently wipe the tears away. You lift me up, holding me gently, touching deep places with an almost painful intensity. Trembling, I kiss you wildly, covering your face and breasts and belly, licking, tasting, nipping, kissing. Now your touch is firm, commanding. I know your need; it matches mine. What we share is white hot, intoxicating. Your hands are everywhere, your lips capture mine and your kisses are deep and penetrating bringing me toward climax. We reach the crest together and, tired now, we rest, our bodies tangled, our heart beating as one. I want more of you, I cannot get enough.
	© Ellie Maziekien 5/21/2000

	EARLY MORNING MUSINGS

	I know so little about life. Although I've lived in it for fifty years, I've never felt in control, but careened through it, now and then stepping out into reality. So many beginnings -- first step, first kiss, first love, first child. So many second chances – New school, new job, new home, new path. A daughter becomes a mother; the mother watches as her children fly. Middle age sets in and life changes. From what I've seen so far it will change again, but then, I know so little about life, although I've lived in it for fifty years.
	© 2000 Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 3/21/2000

	AN ENCOUNTER

	People talk to me everywhere; on the train, in the supermarket, at the beach, in the park. It may be my face, I don't know People, strangers, just tell me things, but why must they tell me everything? Once I stopped to question an old man about his dog. He turned to me, a sad look on his face. "Its my son's dog," he said, "he died today." His heart was broken. I sat next to him on the bench and he held my hand and sobbed out his story; I listened, nodding, letting him talk, helplessly whispering comforting phrases. The dog pressed against his knees and whimpered. I think he was heartbroken, too. All I could do was pet the dog and hold the old man's hand. I watched him walk away, hoping I'd helped. I never forgot him. Everywhere I go people still talk to me; now I try to hear what they're saying.
	© Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 3/29/2000

	EYES

	Your eyes glint in the firelight turned to violet by the flames I could fall into them; they seem so deep I know that you won't let me fall but catch me in your arms as though I were a mere wisp insubstantial as the bits of fog that even now are chasing each other across the grass Our fire is banked against the wind I am as snug as a babe; held close, kept warm within the haven of your love. Now your eyes reflect another light; by starlight they are a deeper hue. I've seen them look as cold as ice; but ever when your gaze meets mine they are a sea toned blue, and dance and wink and glow like starshine.
	© - ellie 2/18/00

	FRIENDS

	All others turned away but you. even my mother; you braved their wrath. In my view that makes you the hero, not I. One man saw good in me; I tried to change; I couldn't. I gave up. I surrendered. I quit. But you saved me; against my will, you became my friend. I grew to be yours. Now I cannot live without you.
	© Ellie Maziekien 3/11/00

	THE HUMAN SPIRIT

	Middle of the night. Two forty-five, AM. A hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake. My husband. He says, "There's a fire, get out, I'll get the boys!" One terse sentence. I am up, down and out in ten seconds. Less, I think. Out the door, turn and wait for my sons and my husband. No one is coming! Then, Mike, my younger son comes stumbling through the haze of smoke. He said he had faltered on the steps and willed his legs to move because he knew he'd die there if he didn't. I touch him. I kiss him. He is here, he is safe! Thank you God! We wait. I send him across the street to pull the fire alarm. Our town took them away! Whose idea was that??! We wait. I call out my husband's name. Still nothing. Back into the house. Stumble back out. Too much smoke! I call. I yell. I scream their names. "Bill! Chris! Chris!! Chris!!" No response. They told me later that my voice was louder than the sirens. I scream, my voice raw, panicked, terrified. I breathe deeply and go back into the house. I can't see! I can't breathe. The smoke is yellow. Acrid. It rolls toward me like a living creature, evil and horrible. It forces me back out into the cold air. Wait! I hear my husband's voice. "Come into the back yard." "What is he doing in the back yard?" I ask my son. I run. It is November. I have on a light nightgown, no shoes. I don't feel the cuts on my feet or the cold. Get to the backyard! Get there! Oh! They are in the window. Oh, thank God! Thank you, God! He tells me that there is a ladder by the fence. I am a superwoman! I lift the ladder; put it up against the house. No! I cannot figure out how to extend it! I am helpless. But, wait! Mike has sent a policeman, who raises the ladder and pulls my son down and into my arms. My husband comes down the ladder and I hug him too. He wanted to stay and save the cats. Three cats, one, Gremlin, nine years old; one, Mischief, six months old; one, Danforth, 6 weeks old. They are dead. The fireman tells us we cannot go back in. The house is lost. The cats are lost. We are alive. We are safe. We survive. I learn, first-hand, of the kindness of strangers. We are enveloped in loving compassion and generosity. Everything we own, someone gave to us. We are humbled. We are thankful. We are loved. We are alive.
	© Ellie Maziekien 6/4/2000

	I KNOW WHO YOU ARE

	I know how strong you are; I can see the strength of your arm. I feel the muscles moving under your skin. Hearts freeze in fear of you; your eyes gleam with your power, ice blue and cold. I understand the darkness in you, but I am never afraid. I know how gentle you are. I feel the heat rising as your body touches mine. My heart skips a beat when you draw me close - the light shines in your warm blue eyes. You are lit from within by the love we share. I know who you are and I am never afraid.
	© - ellie 2/23/2000

	KITES ARE UP!

	Kites are up! Chasing each other, now they dip - now they soar. New grass bursts onto the scene; flashes of green light up the trees, and robins bob for worms. Daffodils proclaim the news: Spring! Spring! Spring!
	© Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 3/25/2000

	LEGACY

	Time moves us ever onward, but I look back and think of you. I know you had to go; your poor body so abused, so tired of fighting the war you could not win. The fight had been a long one; disease had never had so strong an adversary. The battle drained you, left you weak, shaking, but you rallied each new day and prevailed. Job. You said you'd change your name to Job because "you never could get a break" - always joking about the dark struggle. I saw you defeated at the end of a long day, your sons lifting and carrying you to bed. I saw you wake the next morning, still tired, aching. You went to work, securing a future for the family you would have to leave behind. Fortitude. An old word, not much used today. It means strength of mind; moral courage; That is what you showed us every day. The final insult, the final surgery that lopped off flesh and dignity was too much for you. Too soon for us, not soon enough to spare you pain you reaped your final reward. Alone. You died with the name of your beloved on your lips, a heartfelt definition of love. We wept, at the same time delighting in your freedom. We miss you still, always. Your legacy: be strong, be brave, study. Laugh. Be there for your family. Work hard. Live large, live right, and love.
	© Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 4/6/2000

	OPENING GAMBIT

	My lips press against yours at first meeting resistance, then an opening, a yielding. My tongue tastes yours sensuous, sensual, arousing. You respond equally, ardently, your hand tracing a line from my ankle to the top of my thigh; feather soft, gossamer. You find my center and I open. Eyes smoky with desire, you fondle my breasts, your fingers finding me sensitive, vulnerable. Never looking back, I utterly surrender my soul.
	© Ellen Ferejohn Maziekien 4/9/2000

	STALLION RUN

	(Inspired by Theme for Endangered Species by Helen Simmins-McMillin) Alerted by danger sensed on the wind the lead stallion rears, braying harshly. His hooves come down on the hard packed earth with a thump that startles a nearby foal, sending it cowering behind it's mother's legs. Another warbling neigh from the throat of the leader and the whole herd wheels and bolts fast, very fast, from a standstill to a gallop In a heartbeat. Foam flecks their lips and Long-lashed eyes squint against the clods of earth thrown up by their panicked passage. They are joined by other herds – of their own kind and others, all prey animals, fleeing, running - amid the utter safety of numbers. Flat out, their speed unchecked, they run for miles, acacia trees and scrub flitting by unnoticed. Danger spurs them, unconscious trust in the leader drives them. A clear scent of peace slows him, and they stand, sides heaving, Legs trembling, throats parched. Soon, it is as if nothing happened and they mill about, species mingling, cropping the tough stems, and slowly moving on, following the stallion toward water.
	© Ellie Maziekien 4/12/2000

	TEARS

	You are strength itself. You do miraculous things that others wouldn''t even try. Seeking redemption you changed your life. Seeking love you let me in; and then I make you cry. I did that. Me You've kept your heart sheltered, locked up, chained; now it is suddenly exposed, susceptible to pain, but you mask it. You will not let me see. Sometimes I speak before I think and with a careless word, cut you deeper than could any sword or blade. You turn and walk away, betrayed by your unprotected heart and me. I let you go. I cannot bear your tears.
	© - ellie 2/24/2000

	THE TRUTH

	If I could take the pain I see reflected in your shadowed eyes And ease your burden for A little while Your eyes would shine With the light therein. If I could wash away the stain That you say you'll always bear So others could see Your undiminished smile Your heart would show The love wherein The truth resides.
	© - ellie 2/23/2000

	YOUR TOUCH

	Hands on my body; your hands, finding secret places that only those hands know. Sensations tickling across my exposed breasts and rippling down in wave after wave of ecstasy. The thrill of your tongue tasting, tracing the contours of my lips, my mouth, my throat - now kissing, now nipping harder, stronger, faster. I turn and we match each other move for move. You touch me everywhere - smoothing, stroking, rubbing, caressing; every nerve awake, alive, alert. Back arched, I am open to you and you duck your head and capture my lips with your own. Spent, drained, you sleep; I watch as your moss-green eyes close I gently kiss them and entangle my hand in your golden hair as I, too, sleep, to dream again of your touch....
	© - ellie