Ken Gosse
Before the Beguine Began
Way back before a time or two
when calendars were not yet new
and clocks had not made their debut,
the sun was young, the moon was, too,
while fables waited, still askew,
not knowing all that they could do,
our story might have started then . . .
The who and where were there, but when
was still unknown and hadn’t shown
itself to children, young or grown,
who’d listen so attentively
before the first scone had its tea
about a princess and her knight;
before the first prince would delight
a king and queen; before all thrones,
when lords and ladies were unknowns;
before the noblest majesties
would celebrate with pageantries;
before their stories were passed down
since there was no one with a crown
nor anyone to tell those tales;
no castles, dungeons, thrones, or jails
had made appearance in a plot
and epics were not yet begot
by word-of-mouth or on cave walls
nor scribbled in their privy stalls;
before an Adam met his mate
and apples sealed their eastern fate;
before the first Eve would be sprung
to procreate those we’re among
who hoped to hear the feats of old—
since there were none, none could be told.