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Open Poetry #39
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Back And There Again
| Open Poetry #39 |
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Back And There Again |
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Grinch Member Elite
since 2005-12-31
Posts 2929Whoville |
A stripling youth beside a lake Like many children down the years Found solace in his childish games An outlet for lost hope and fears An orphan, Sam, lost little lamb Who never once complained Would offer all that he possessed And share out what remained As Sam played late beside the mere That lay beyond his village wall He caught a mournful muted sound A soft lamented call Beneath an overhanging branch He spied a sodden sight An injured swan had come to die Beneath that willow in the night The boy without a seconds thought Stripped off his woolen shirt And waded out to save the swan Hip high in ice and dirt Upon the shore his shirt became A wrap to warm the injured bird And though Sam shivered in the wind He never said a single word Both night and day for many weeks Sam tended to his patients needs He slept when bandages were clean And ate between his charges feeds One morning Sam awoke to see The swan was not upon it’s bed And as he rushed out to the yard A thousand dark thoughts filled his head But there beside the garden flowers With wings outstretched the swan stood tall And peered towards the water near That lay beyond the village wall Sam smiled with joy but sadness too He’d hoped to keep his only friend Though in his heart he’d held the truth The swan would leave him in the end With flapping arms and misty eyes Sam forced the mended bird to fly It circled twice above Sam’s head In semblance of a last goodbye Twenty lonely years passed And war came to that quiet land A demon army laid to waste Took all upon demand Plowmen turned their tools to swords To try to turn the evil tide But plowmen brave as they can be Were ever on the losing side Sam joined the local company And soon rose from the crowd In him a leader had been named A figurehead to make men proud The day came soon when one last push Would see the people free of pain The demon hoard defeated Swords turned to plows again The fight was hard the blood flowed free As Sam fought well and long He never guessed the demons plan But things were going wrong Upon a hill Sam stood alone Cut off from any help or aid As certain death bore down on him Sam bowed his head and prayed The throng before him parted With the prayer still on his tongue As a white clad knight assailed the hoard To smite the heathen throng Sam stood beside his rescuer After victory in the war He asked of the brave stranger “Please tell me who you are” The white knight smiled down from his steed “You ask me who and know not why? I am the friend you ever had The clouds within your sky.” “I am all things to every man The sword held strong within your hand The grass and trees upon this hill The blood that stains its very sand.” “I am the joy I am the rain The sun and stars that circle round I am the new born babies' cry And all these corpses on the ground.” “ I am the morning and the night All things to come and all that’s seen The truth that shines on every lie All that will be or ever been “That is the who I am my child But the why must now be heard For twenty years ago my friend I was an injured bird” [This message has been edited by Grinch (10-17-2006 05:06 PM).] |
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XOx Uriah xOX Senior Member
since 2006-02-11
Posts 1403Virginia |
::smiles:: Wonderful ! :: bows :: :: bows :: :: bows :: |
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sandgrain Member Elite
since 1999-09-21
Posts 3662Sycamore, IL, USA |
A very heartwarming tale in flowing rhyme. I love this kind of thing. Rae |
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seraphin Senior Member
since 2000-09-24
Posts 1004Michigan |
What a wonderful tale! So well thought out, so steeped in magic, written to perfection. Sandra |
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iliana Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434USA |
Big smooch for this one. Wonderful, wonderful story.....  ....jo |
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Grinch Member Elite
since 2005-12-31
Posts 2929Whoville |
I never liked this much, I was lazy with the rhyme and it always sounds a little too twee when I read it. But I'm glad you all found something to like in it. Thanks for taking the time to read and reply |
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TomMark Member Elite
since 2007-07-27
Posts 2133LA,CA |
very good and you indeed wrote a narrative one ( a very clear one)  .Love the read. |
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Falling rain
since 2008-01-31
Posts 2178Small town, Illinois |
Wow Grinch.. Never read of your work.. But now I'll have to keep a look out for it, cause I like this poem really much.. reminds me of Swan Lake..Great job! ~Zach~ (Library) "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb....,"he murmured. "What a stupid lamb," I sighed. "What a sick, masochistic lion." |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Reminded me of Tolkien and Tennyson and Arthurian cycle stuff, without Arthur of course. I enjoyed particularly the competence of the way the rhyme and the meter was handled, and the way you kept the story moving through the poem without getting bogged down. I think it's very good mythological type verse. Thanks for writing it and for letting it be enjoyed. BobK. |
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Artic Wind Member Rara Avis
since 2007-09-16
Posts 8080Realm of Supernatural |
I do like it ! ARCTIC WIND |
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