The Tale of the Misogamic Knight
By MPTGraves
I met a maid once long ago
I thought her fair, and told her so
I asked her name, she answered "Yes,
I am Fickle Vainglorious."
You'd think that then, I might've thought
or just suspected, but I was caught
within her spell, I know not how
it's so hard to remember now.
In not much time I felt so changed
from solitary, I had ranged
so wonderful I must've felt
that my cold heart began to melt
I did for her all that I knew
Her words did not seem hard to chew
And so I went along that track
foolishly exposing my back.
She waited til the time was ripe
perhaps my eye, I paused to wipe
and thrust she then, and with such luck
deep in my heart her dagger stuck.
I don't remember how it hurt
The next thing that I saw was dirt
and when I rose I came to see
all that Fickle had done to me.
"Vainglorious!" I yelled in pain,
as if power was in the name,
with which I might go back in time
or reattain that fey sublime
I tried but just misunderstood
her mind had changed, but not for good
so quickly that I couldn't blink
and so she pushed me from the brink
I fell into disparate hate
a bloodlust nothing seemed to sate
and so enraged I was that I
wanted to kill or fight or die
I sought a quest or some great fight
on which to spend my anger bright
and when I heard of the Fire Wyrm
I took my blade and off did storm
I found His cave where they had said
and saw the remnants of many dead
who like myself tried to put paid
the fires of the dragon "Fate".
I banged my sword against my shield
and bid the wyrm to stand or yield,
and test my mettle with his flames
and into history burn my name.
From deep within I heard a rumbling
sound like rocks come downward tumbling,
t'was laughter at my proudful boast
that troubled not my fearsome host.
He came forth then, with talons sharp
a'scraping on the barren rock
and with His mighty head held high
He fixed on me his burning eye
"Who comes forth to think that he
has any right to battle me?
For this is my domain you fool,
keep to small things that men rule!"
But ignorance and small heartache
make men both rash and prone to take
such stupid actions that they might
think they can even dragons smite!
Old Fate was used to silly man
and knew my mind as no man can
and rather than truncate my days
He chose instead to mend my ways.
"Wisdom I will offer you
or on your bones I'll surely chew
for time stops not and nor do I
for little men and their little lives.
Life is short and often painful
to live through and yet disdainful-
ly you seem to think you're special
so you want a test of mettle,
yet your anger comes from strife
from which you ought to learn in life
is common, nay, required! so
that you might change and you might grow."
Struck I was by this quite dumb
and stopped to think how far I'd come
from Fickle Vain to fiery Fate
and how I almost stopped too late.
I sat down hard and looked at Him
and bowed my head as tears did brim
and thanked Him for his mercy just
and for the wisdom He did trust
in me to have the strength to know
I'd been the fool and let it go
so far as to consume my thoughts
whilst throwing all away for nought.
I left that place another being
one who looking, started seeing
what would come instead of all
that had gone past or that had fall-
en by the wayside to be forgotten
like old heroes now besotted
and so I sat up straighter knowing
that all things still keep on going.
Which I share with you this night
and tell my tale as is my right
with hopes that you might feel the weight
of wisdom giv'n by old grim Fate.
-mg