“Word-burned Allies”
April 30, 2014
Kings-night comes / to the MidRealm
Dragon Warder / works the words
Bears the brunt / of Braggi’s boasting –
a praise-poem / put to paper.
By his feet / word-dirt gathers,
gall globs grow / from his feathers
phrases fade / under fingers
into song-fog.
Falcons carried / crackling carcass
to a waiting / Eastern window.
Linden skald / opened eye-sill,
Awed she was / at her ally!
Hweat! began / lengthy love song
heart-inked verse / to the Midream
praising kings / in war and peace
people-song / for the Dragon.
Raven quick / chorus-culler,
called to Valhalla / knightly kennings
On this parchment / pushed her lean-pen.
From prose-horse / picked through war-field.
Midrealm warrior / watched the cutting,
scythe-strong he / threshed the word-wheat,
boldly broke / through strong thought-bales.
Stub-flame stands / as a timepeace
lights the loom / of ink and pulp
where word-wove / tale wefts and warps.
Sleepy skalds / night-drunk writers
bear to Braggi / poet-present
flown to Asgard / on ink-feathers
lip-bitten / boast-swords blessed it.
Note and heed / Gold-ring givers,
Ancient foes / entwined this night
Single voiced / were the war bards
that the King’s day / sun-song stand.
thus is prove’d / the Best war-bird
field-picks with / her feathers cut,
wordfame wends / many places,
Valkyries / codex-killers
lay waste to work.
Sings East-bard / to Mid Warder
our allies / to hour-allies
singly sleep / ere sky-gold rises.
***********************
And so it came to pass that Eastern bard Aneleda helped a MidRealm Warder, Andrew Blackwood (Drew Nicholson) write Norse-styled praise poetry in honor of the lineage of his kings for the approaching MidRealm Coronation. (Thank you Master Toki Redbeard and Mistress Wyndrith.) It seemed that she did not catch on fire while doing so. And they both got to sleep before dawn.
She was so happy about that, that she wrote another poem all herself about the work they did.
In the morning, I woke to read this from the beloved and renowned Brendan O’ Corraidhe (Corrie Bergeron). Appended was this note: “Seriously – I don’t think I’v ever seen a piece in praise of collaboration!”
Sleepless greybeard / sees and startles.
Oft has he / with others written
Ideas shared / and shorn, and scutch’ed
Winnowed wheat / left chaff to char.
Wordsmiths / wielding wisdom, know
That eyes a’plenty / find all flaws.
(No slight spat / at One-Eyed Woden;
From we who lack / Yggdrisail’s Gift.)
Yet in all / my years of yowling,
Versing, faring, / story-telling,
Seeking counsel / from like-minded
Never have I / seen an ode
Like this.
Praise of poet’s process:
Advice from well-wrought wisdom
Seek gold ‘among the mosses:
A legacy for children.
The word gift from Brendan was worth all the lost sleep alone.