(for Morena Baccarin)
Theodora was a courtesan who turned the Emperor’s head,
And when he made her Empress, his advisers whined their dread.
Yet when the city rioted, and the Emperor turned to flee,
Theodora chose to face the crowd, saying, “Worry not for me;
For I shall die an Empress, I will wear my purple gown,
And I will be remembered if the mob should throw me down.”
And when the Emperor heard her, he knew he could not flee,
But called his guards and faced the mob and set the city free.
And she is still remembered after fifteen hundred years;
Purple silk and cast iron backbone, never yielding to her fears.
Now, Inara is a courtesan who’s turned the captain’s head,
But Malcolm won’t admit it; he’d sooner be struck dead.
She’s been the captain’s conscience, and they’ve become good friends,
But they never will be more than that unless one of them bends.
And since bending isn’t something either one’s learned how to do,
Their courtship dance goes nowhere, though it entertains the crew.
Inara’s never told us why she wanders through the black,
But now she’s made her home here and it’s clear she’ll not go back.
She’s a great and gracious lady, and she’s wise beyond her years;
Golden silk and cast iron backbone, public smiles and private tears.
Paul Haynie
1/18/2003