But First You Must

There’s always just
One more task,
Capricious, vast.

Soon you can rest,
But first you must
Live through just
One more test.
Can you gather enough
Dandelion fluff
For a bed to have stuffing,
Or level a hill
With a broken comb?

Soon you’ll go home,
But see, there is still
One more thing
That the wizard or king
Requires you fulfill,
And for love of the one
Whom he has said
That you may wed
When you are done,
No labor is too
Toilsome for you.

Weary, sore,
With each new chore ―
Random, unjust ―
You feel you’re more
Sure to fail.
But still, you try.

Dream or tale
Or life or art,
You have come to redeem
The friend of your heart.

But first you must
die.