The Last Saxon

Hereward the Wake
Last man of Saxon Blood
To rise against the Normans
Did his efforts matter
Did his efforts linger
In the past did he plant a seed
That grew into a forest
Was it a fallacy
A rebellion that echoed
To the present
Or was his life just fodder
A life snuffed out
And crushed by the day
One cannot easily change
The course of a river
But one life can lead
Many to change together
And lead to rebellion
One saying no is the beginning
Hereward was that one

Lifeless Living

Endless tears
And silent screams
Since you've left
I cannot escape
In the depth of an abyss
A pit laid out before me
A torture self induced
My flesh is sorrow kissed
Without your love to redeem
A plague of misery
How tightly woven
My soul was to you
To come undone is to destroy
All I am
And my dreams stolen
For you were all I longed for
You were all I desired
And now there is nothing
Left of me
Now knowing
Nothing worth saving
Nothing
But plague dust
And fallen dreams
Dried tears
And memories
Ill becoming
A dead man
Left breathing
Without life in his body

In My Father's Castle

I sipped from the goblet
That held the wine of life
It was glorious
The taste of the vintage
Of the grapes of the vine
Grown especially for this day
Never again would it be known
This taste
Nor would I know
Another like it
I drank without shame
For in my father's castle
There was only splendor
There was no fear of want
There was never a day of need
In my father's castle
There was only knowledge of perfection
The walls were built with excellence
Every stone laid with precision
Every corner a perfectly fit
The riders from the horizon
Could see the towers
From the towers the banners rippled
In the winds
The banners drew from every countryman
Pride and love
For our father was a good king
And he loved us and provided
In every way imaginable
Some mock our loyalty
Some say we are not free
They are wrong however
We have the greatest freedom
We chose to be loyal
We chose to be in service
In return we are given
All that we need
All that we want
And more
We are part of the legends
Greater than our own lives
We become part of a story
Woven of steel
And we are part of a legacy
Rich in truth, and lore

Unrequited by her perfect beauty

Since I saw her
I have been incomplete
And for having seen her
I have been in despair
I will never be able
To overcome her mystique
She lay there in the finest silks
Her body was finer, without match
The color of her hair was unique
And it poured across her flesh
Her skin so pure and smooth
None could possible imagine it
Without seeing it
She lay still, fully asleep
Her auburn hair was streaked
With indescribable colors
And her lips so full
Drove me mad
With an inner passion
Yes I long for her but I realize
I will never be made whole
By having her in my arms

The Echo, The View

A nymph known
By the name of Echo
Loved talking
A gift of entertaining speech
The wife of the great God Zeus
Hera, Queen of Olympus
Took away that gift
For Hera trusted her
And
Then learned
That her trust was folly
Echo told Hera stories
At length entertained the queen
In truth, had distracted Hera
Because all that while
King Zeus
Who longed to be free
And to be wild
Used that moment
When Hera was otherwise focused
To consort with Echo's sister nymphs
The intimate interludes
In a fashion were due Echo's deceit
Her voice, which she loved
More than anything
Would no longer be hers
She would no longer be heard
As a being in her voice
Now only able
To echo what was said
By whoever spoke before her
Cursed, still she endured
And lived
Seeing a youth
And following him
She understood that
She very much desired him
He was beautiful
Vain, well proportioned
Reckless and wild
Untamed
Oh he was exciting
She followed at first
From a distance
Who's there?  he shouted
She tried to call to him
Who's there, she replied
Her voice simply echoed
The last thing she had heard
After a chase he said
Let us meet
She was thrilled
So she tried to get closer
And he noticed her then
But he became distracted
By the view
Of his face
So perfect
The tranquil water
Like a voice to him
Calling him beautiful
So very beautiful
And voiceless
She began to cry
And as he stared
Transfixed
He could not move
Until he died
And her tears fell
Until she faded away
And in their place
The echo of the water
Always ringing
Upon the shores
A Narcissus flower
Remain