The crow’s nest rises high above the deck;
I stand there with a spyglass in my hands
To spot the shoals and reefs where I might wreck
And seek out strange and undiscovered lands.

I turn around and look behind the mast
To scan my wake for where I’ve gone astray:
The treasures I’ve missed out on in the past,
Mistakes with heavy costs I’ve had to pay.

But then I climb back down and take the wheel;
I haul the ropes and set the heaving sails
To take me to those places I revealed
And dodge the stormy seas with blowing gales.

The future and the past have much to give
But here and now is where I have to live.

In bygone days, when men of legend took
Their first steps on the road to later fame,
Before their stories grew to fill a book
Onto the field with banners high they came.
King Felix, whom the scholars call the Just,
Was young and strong, the first to bear the name.
He sat the Dragon throne and knew he must
Defend his lands with all the Midrealm’s might.
Of all his stalwart men he placed his trust
In Hrodir most, as true as any Knight
Who ruled fair Northshield in his liege’s stead
As Prince by ancient law and martial right.
Great men are these, for throne and battle bred,
But more than Royal blood in war is shed.

Among the fighting men of Hrodir’s band
Were lads of burly arm and bulging thew,
But in their midst a maiden fair did stand.
Scarce old enough to lift a sword, they knew,
Yet this Delphina (for so she was named)
Had shown herself a warrior fierce and true,
A wild Bearcat, both savage and untamed.
Though she had fought in skirmishes before,
A greater glory she had not yet claimed.
So when Hrodir and Felix rode to war,
She went with sword and shield to join their corps.

They faced the Tyger on the battlefield,
With enemies that stretched on out of sight.
Outnumbered, true, but still they would not yield
And so for days on end they stood to fight.
The fifth day dawned, and weary though they were,
Brave Hrodir saw a prize by morning’s light:
A castle – well defended, to be sure –
But one that they might sieze to take a stand.
A cheer went up, in voices loud and pure;
The Northshield army, winter-forged and grand
Declared that they would follow their Prince through
The gates of Hell if he gave the command.
Then Bearcat grasped the Prince’s helm (it’s true)
And swore to him “I’ll win this war for you!”

They boldly charged the Tyger in its lair;
With bloodied blade and pike they took the keep.
Now time had come to see how they would fare;
As they had sown, so now they all would reap.
The castle gate was held by Hrodir’s men
From wall to wall and half a dozen deep.
Behind this host the Bearcat waited then,
An eye behind to watch the postern door.
The counterstrike would come, though none knew when,
And battle would consume them all once more.
Just then the trumpets blared and all prepared
To hold the line and still the Tyger’s roar.
The charge came swiftly then, and none were spared;
Young Bearcat watched as those before her fell.
Though things seemed bleak, she found she was not scared.
She knew that she must stand fast to expel
The enemy, or fall in death as well.

The moment came when she could see it clear:
A score of shields, purpure with crown of gold,
Behind each one a man with sword or spear.
That morning she had sworn with language bold
To win the day for Northshield’s future King.
Her duty was to do as she was told
And stop the Eastern host from entering.
The Bearcat took her place then in the wall,
Though with her sword she took nary a swing.
She knew full well that she was not as tall
Or strong as those who stood to left and right,
But her shield could ensure they would not fall
And while they lived they could keep on the fight.
She knelt upon the stones and held her place,
Between her Northshield brothers wedged in tight.
They held the line and did not give a pace,
Until the sun sank low into the west.
Delphina and her shield, by Heaven’s grace
Had held strong as the East had sent their best;
The Bearcat’s will and courage passed the test.

Though castles fall and wars are won or lost,
An act of valor lives on for all time.
For those who bear the sword and pay the cost
Are long remembered in both song and rhyme.
The band of gold can be a symbol of
A Prince’s thanks for something more sublime:
The character it takes to rise above
The fear of death and win a war for love.

This was written back in 2013 in honor of the Pennsic exploits of Delphina, called Bearcat.

The charcoal rests between my fingertips
And quivers with a barely pent desire;
I close my eyes, and, tongue between my lips,
Prepare to kindle my creative fire.

A sweeping stroke defines a curving cheek,
A chin, a jaw, a length of flowing hair.
Beneath the lashes eyes like jewels peek;
I falter as I meet that piercing stare.

The simple shapes lay flat and unrefined
Until I bring them forth with light and shade;
An unseen sun makes shadow fall behind
The hills and valleys that my hand has made.

My fingers black, I sit back and behold
The alchemy of charcoal into gold.

This was written in response to Agnes Halydaye’s “first comment gets drawn” art practice series.

An unexpected fall of snow
Leaves us not knowing what to do;
We play and make some balls to throw.
An unexpected fall of snow
Comes south so seldom then must go,
We have but mem’ries, bright and new.
An unexpected fall of snow
Leaves us not knowing what to do.

Written July 6, 2018 in memory of Titus Germanicus, Prince of AEthelmearc

The greatest treasure in the land
That once I had, but now I grieve,
Which slips away like flowing sand.
The greatest treasure in the land:
The fleeting warmth upon my hand
That lingers when your fingers leave.
The greatest treasure in the land
That once I had, but now I grieve.