lullaby

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the calm inside her was hidden,
the monster wouldn't let it free.

until one day, a maiden came
and sung the beast a tune.
a knight joined her chorus
as did a farmer, a mage, a smith.

they sang, played, danced,
and lulled the creature into sleep;
briefly the spell was broken
and the girl knew calm once more,

but the beast was strong,
and woke in a rage;
it wanted toil, pain, misery,
not happy, pleasant days!

but she was fierce,
the girl, in ways of her own,
and, emboldened by the troubadours,
the glimpse of serenity,
she tamed the monster
that lived at her core.

the calm is no longer hidden,
the girl has set it free.

though the creature still exists,
it is now much smaller
and, at times, it has been known
to sing itself to sleep.

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