Black As A Bird

The Water Monkey

    rode the Fire Horse 

     down to hell

      to get his lady back.

Together

   the two opposite forces

      fought against fate.

Ever since their first date,

    the Water Monkey and his love were destined to suffer.

      When the snake 

       bit her in the face,

        the Water Monkey raged against his cage.

         Overwhelmed by seeing his love in pain,

          he promised to find a way

           to free her from the devil’s maze.

Along the way,

    they found a blackbird with broken wings.

      Together, they rescued her,

        and taught her how to sing.

They took her broken wings,

    and nursed her back to health,

    and she taught them how to fly.

The three descended down hell,

   trying to reach the final level,

    trying to make a deal with the devil.

The devil smiled

    when they reached him,

      taunting them.

The devil promised them

   that if they found her,

    and she really wanted to leave,

     they could take her away,

     but if they couldn’t find her,

       they’d have to stay.

The three checked every inch of hell,

    almost losing their souls in the process,

      but they couldn’t find her.

They spent fifty years searching together.

    Their eyes bled.

      Their feet blistered.

     Their wings broke.

        Their voices died.

          Their ears heard nothing but screams.

They went back to the devil

    to accuse him of tricking them,

     but the devil said it was no trick—

     that the love the Water Monkey was looking for 

       was in the room with them.

They looked around with their bleeding eyes,

   and saw no one else.

The devil laughed

    “Do you give up?”

They nodded. 

     “Then you will spend eternity with me.”

“But where is she??!” they demanded.

     “She’s been pecking your eyes out ever since you tried to save her. And tonight, she will feast on your bones.”

 The blackbird screamed,

   before attacking them. 

She clawed out their hearts,

   and ate them.

But the Water Monkey crawled towards her afterwards,

    and gave her a hug.

He still gave her his love.

The Blackbird cried,

    before singing the saddest love song of all time.

 CH 2/20/26