In a wood where the ravens rehearsed how to die,
And the moon wore a grin much too crooked to try,
A man met a god—though the god wouldn’t say—
If he’d come there to bless him… or trick him away.
Click-clack went the boots of the Shapeshifter’s feet,
Snap-smile went the grin when their glances dared meet—
“Good evening,” said Someone with fire in his hair,
“Do you always stand breathing so loudly out there?”
“I breathe,” said the man, “because breathing is free.”
“Well—temporarily,” laughed the god, “so we’ll see.”
The ravens went hush—Yggdrasil leaned in to hear—
For the Fates love a wager, and Death loves it dear.
“I’ve walked with the Æsir, I’ve dined with the dead,
I’ve kissed prophecy square on the mouth,” Loki said.
“I’ve lost sons to wolves and I’ve birthed worse than lies—
So tell me, small Mortal, why don’t you look surprised?”
The man scratched his chin with a sigh and a nod—
He had learned all the names of the cold northern gods.
“Because gods,” he said softly, “are louder than fear—
And Tricksters,” he added, “are lonely, I hear.”
CRACK—went the night like a bone under strain,
HISS—went the fire where the truth touched a vein.
Loki blinked once—just once—then he laughed much too wide:
“Oh I like you,” he said. “That’s unfortunate—you must die.”
He danced on the roots, he flipped Fire in the air,
Turned sorrow to glitter and grief into flair—
He tied Time in a knot and then tripped on the string,
Sang a song that made Winter forget it was Spring.
“Do you want,” said the god, “to be clever—or wise?”
“I want,” said the man, “to be burned after I die.”
The god paused mid-prank, mid-riddle, mid-scheme—
As if Death weren’t a punchline he’d scripted between.
At last Loki bowed—not a god’s bow, but true—
No thunder, no omen, no prophecy cue.
“For you walk with an ending,” he whispered in frost,
“And I—walk forever with all that I’ve lost.”
Then gone—like a thought you regret having had—
Left ash in the snow and a grin slightly mad.
And the man walked away with no curse, no avail—
For he met a god once—and lived to tell the tale.