A valiant warrior, strong and true
Noble and fierce and handsome too
He was a fighter, much renowned
Who visited many a prosperous town
His spirit was vagrant and wiley and free
Yet his carriage suggested nobility
He was a mystery to all
He would come with the spring and be gone with the fall
He won the heart of many a maid
But ne'er a commitment was seen to be made
His deeds were the stuff of stories and song
But ne'er did he stay in one place for long
His one true love was that of the forge,
He burned there through many a long liv-ed torch
Slaving away through the dead winter nights
Some swore it a demon with which he did fight
And lo! There a flame, and something hath spake
Surely it be the breath of some fiery drake?...
Now this mystery gent... this plain forest man
Was not always having spare time on his hands
But off in the village, a-quiet he stole
Snuck into the tavern, found a nice little hole
Through which he could listen to the bard tell his tale
He would chuckle, then laugh, and then fully regale.
As he listened to the bard telling everyone his tale
He would turn to his neighbor, "Friend, would you believe...?
That this man here is telling his stories of me?
That his fiery dragon is simply a forge?
That his imp is a goat, just a bit over-gorged?
That his menacing ogre with knobbly chains
Is simply a little lost lamb in the rain?
His castle a small shepherd's shack in the woods?..."
As I climb on the table, all the listeners now look
As I loudly and purposefully begin to proclaim
To the sound of the bard’s now insistent refrain
"...Friend! Please do not take me in jest,
For I am a prince I've just misplaced my vest...
And as I am laughed out the door to the street
And feel the worn cobblestones under my feet
I chuckle, just a bit to myself
For I know the truth, it's as real as my belt
For I knew that bard, a long time ago
He lived down a path of which many don't know
He lived down MY road, he's a fraud and a cheat
He's teased me since boyhood, and can't hunt his own meat!
So I get my revenge now, from tavern to bar
All bards embellish, but he's gone to far
He's stolen my childhood, my life for a tale
He washes my best years right down with his ale
So I get my revenge, just the smallest reprieve
It's all that I ask for, it's all that I need
Now he'll spend a night without any bread
And the mark of a liar will stand in his stead
It'll last for a day or a week or a mile
But I know it is worth it by my poor mother's smile....

12/26/2001

Posted on 12/26/2001
Copyright © 2024 Leandra K Brossard