Lightining in the Lyst

 This one is for all my jousting/medievally minded friends.....I love it, hope you at least LIKE it. :-)
 
 
O'er the hill, you hear the roar, as the crowd cries satisfaction
And your curiosity leaps ahead to know the cause of their reaction
Your feet carry you swiftly till you hear the roll of growing thunder
Then the bowing crack of lightning splits your imagination asunder
 
Now you crest the bosom of land and what do your eyes behold?
'Tis the noble sport of jousting, as practiced in days of old
Your mind feasts on the spectacle as knights reach for the lance
Then turn their steeds again in this deadly game of chance
 
Each destrier moves the earth as they rumble to their goal
Their barding catching the wind while something moves in your soul
Then lance tips meet grandguards and lighting strikes once again
Showering splinters of strength in this contest of horse and man
 
One knight is rocked in his saddle from a violent blow to his chest
But he recovers, by will alone, then brings his mount to rest
Now you hurry closer, to see how this story will play out
While the squires hand up a lance And the herald calls for a shout
 
The audience complies and you gladly add your eager cheers
Yet even over the din, some sound still reaches your ears
It's the press of your heartbeat lodged in your breathless throat
As the knights turn their last pass and time just seems to float
 
Like a old slow motion picture, you can see each grand detail
Leaning forward amongst the press of the public on the rail
Hooves seek purchase in ravaged sand they've trod before
Nostrils stretch to seek the wind as spurs ask steeds for more
 
Armored bodies lean forward to better seek the coming blow
Stainless glitters in afternoon sun, tension continues to grow
Then as lances come to bear like missiles targeting an enemy
The last part of your heart cuts loose and sets you free
 
Contact is made, and once more you hear the lighting crack
Shrapnel flies like confetti, and one knight leaves his steeds back
He falls not like a leaf in autumn but like a train hurtles its track
And your heart stops in your chest, your jaw goes to slack
 
Then the mob is screaming glory and you add your ardent voice
Though you worry for the fallen, your heart gives you no choice
The victor throws the scrap of his lance, it cartwheels through the air
He exit's the lyst and lifts his fist, his success ours to share
 
He meets the squires at the block, they lift the helm from his head
He pats his horse in gratitude for running bravely where he led
As he dismounts, he turns, to look for his fallen opponent
Who rises from the verdant field in a squires work of the moment
 
The two meet, and clasp their wrists in bonds of brotherhood
So that two victors now stand where once only one had stood
And you raise your voice with the crowd once more at this display
Knowing you have been changed forever by the lighting in the lyst today

Summerlands

Some dear friends just yesterday had to make the decision to free thier lovely mare from her mortal coil. I went to stand in for them as her heart galloped its last beat, for I knew they wouldnt have the strength to remember her in life through the images of her passing. Her passing, thier grief, and the memories of my own losses over the years inspired the following writing.

There is a place where horses go, I see it within my heart
The Summerlands, like Neverland, where friends will never part
Where tall trees give shade and sweet grass will ever grow
Where hills roll onward, gentle and streams always flow
And I see the shining eyes I last saw dulled with pain
I see unbroken hearts, and limbs flashing once again
I know thier spirits know me as I look upon them there
They toss thier manes and trumpet, they dance upon the air
They know someday I'll meet them and touch them as before
They wait for me just beyond the pearls of heavens door
I know them in my heart as surely as I knew them with my hands
And I know the peace of thier presence in those heartfelt Summerlands

Warhorse

When a horse of war is laid to rest, though it is quiet here on earth
The trumpets sound in heaven for the passing of such great worth
For here he comes up the rainbow bridge with proudly arch'd neck
His heavy hooves ring thunder and his mouth no rein does check
Each hoof is placed in joyful passage no longer with mortal grace
But with angeled herald anouncing his name in Elysiums endless space
His eye does sparkle mightily with the shine we knew of old
For no more will his shell suffer the pains of age nor illness nor cold
He will paw the turf and charge the hill in a mighty memorial to his past
For the warhorse of old lives on in our hearts and now he's free at last

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Setting Free

Setting free and letting go are so similar, but completely different. Neither are easy.

I remember when you were all I saw when I looked into my heart
I loved you best, as you rightly deserved from the very start
You were hope, and long lost dreams I needed to uncover
You gave me peace and will to fight I would soon discover
I came through my darkest days staring at your picture on the wall
And even when I could not walk
You refused to let me fall
Now, I've learned to stand again, its now time I let you go
We lived our dream in borrowed time, though we did not know
Now, no matter the miles or time, with you my heart is lined
But best for you and best for me no longer flow intertwined
So know I love you, I cherish your gift that you gave to me
But now it comes in gratitude that I can set you free

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

No One

No one will want me, no one will see me
I'm just a friend and so I always will be
Is it too much to ask to be more than this
More than a safe place, warm with passions kiss
But no one will want me beyond all my flaws
No one will see what only the heart draws
Too much stands out broken beyond repair
And all I can feel is that it just isn't fair
So much heart to give, so much life to share
But they don't see a woman when they stare
Just a nice girl a good friend a kind confidante
While I sit alone in my growing sense of want
No one will want me, no one will see me
I'm just a friend and so I always will be

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fathers Day

I wanted to write something mushy about dads today, something drawn from my own life experiences. Sadly, looking back, the only father I really had to trust as a little girl was the Father that went hand in hand with the Son and Holy Spirit. My Daddy and I, much as I wanted nothing more than to be his precious gift, didn't give me a whole lot to trust back then. But I am still moved to see those rare men among our human condition who are really good dads. These men are not perfect, even if they are trying to be- they fail sometimes, but they accept that fatherhood is not a position they can quit. Frankly, even if you gave them the option to walk away, they would cling jealously to their responsibilities, even when it isn't quite clear to them what those responsibilities entail. These brave souls walk blindly into the fray that will some day involve hormones and teenage dramas, wading through dirty diapers and ceaseless crying even when they are scared to death of doing something wrong. And I think that is the one of the true signs of a father- the unfailing being there, wrong or right, day or night, giving of themselves when they have nothing left for themselves. They love their children unequivocally, showing that love in play, in sternness, in lessons learned and mistakes made. They are a small number but they are a treasure made more noticeable for its rarity, though their own children may not know it till they are grown themselves.
Some Daddies weren't the best- some forgot us or we scared them so much they made big mistakes that broke our hearts. Sometimes that made us stronger. But even then, I am glad those men are fathers too, for so many of us wouldn't be here to make the world a richer place if not for those men. And if we are really lucky, like my Daddy and me, we can resolve the past and learn to love each other anyway.
Then there are those dads we have that don't involve parentage. Those brave souls who take it to heart to play father to children not their own. They may only come into our lives for an hour on the side of the road, changing a tire, or they can come and stay, indelibly inking their words in our hearts just we most need to hear them. Some are teachers, coaches, uncles, grandpas, supervisors, co-workers, and some are total strangers, but our lives would have been noticeably poorer without them guiding us.
So today, let me say Happy Fathers Day, to all you men who have been daddies to us. Whether mistakes were made or you walked the right trail, our generation walks in the road you paved before us. We are blessed immeasurably by you all. *virtual hugs* from my heart to yours.
Love,
Daddy's Little Girl

Personal interpretation

I'm pretty sure what I wrote this about but I feel like it could mean a lot of things- to each their own.

Neither soft nor sweet
In this quest for heat
reach with claw not feather
Heartbeats race on
In the rush toward dawn
Ripping thru lace and leather
Intensity to be sought
Not borrowed nor bought
But burning day by night
Patience long forgot
In dreams far too hot
Till wrong erases my right

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry