A few lines of poetry came to me on a particularly gray and rainy day last week, so I thought I’d follow them to see where they led. I have a few alternate versions (especially for the third stanza) and haven’t settled all of the details (especially regarding tense shifts), but when I do, I have an art project in mind for it.
For now, though, I hope you enjoy this draft.
The Forgotten Knight
By Michelle Joelle
In the mud this rainy day
A Knight in shining armor lay.
His shining suit, though soon to rust
Would yet outlast his living lust
For battle, glory, love, and more
While he forgot what he died for.
Others would recall his deeds
Of courage in times of great need.
They’d hear his tale recounted true
By other Knights of fortune, who
Emerged from battle thus unscathed
Sharing memories before they fade.
But stories broken into parts
Are difficult to know by heart.
Those who retold tales like these
Would reconstruct them as they pleased:
Some deeds embellished and some forgot,
Until they made one Knight a God.
In the mud and in the rain
A valiant warrior there was slain.
His unflinching strength and might
Given to another Knight.
And so he earns eternal fame,
But only by another name.
Stories & Soliloquies 
4 thoughts on “A Poem: The Forgotten Knight”
SelfAwarePatterns
I like the version of the third stanza you have here!
Michelle Joelle
I may have already made some adjustments since my original posting 🙂
Tienzen (Jeh-Tween) Gong
Excellent, I like.
If I translate it into a Chinese poem (in Chinese style), it will be as follow.
In the mud this rainy day
A Knight in shining armor lay.
His shining suit, soon to rust
Yet outlast his living lust
For battle, glory, love, and more
Forgot what he died for.
Others recall his deeds
In times of great need.
They’d hear his tale recounted true
By other Knights of fortune, who
Emerged from battle thus unscathed
Sharing memories before they fade.
But stories broken into parts
Difficult to know by heart.
Retold tales like these
Reconstruct as they pleased:
Some deeds embellished, some forgot,
Until one Knight as God.
In the mud and in the rain
A valiant warrior there was slain.
His unflinching strength and might
Given to another Knight.
Earn eternal fame,
By another name.
In Chinese poetry, the key is the ‘fuzziness’, the actors and the readers are mingled. The readers must figure out who is doing the talking and who is doing the reading. That is, reader must become the actor in the poem.
By all means, your poem is great, and I like it.
Michelle Joelle
Thank you so much – the recasting was interesting, and probably more poetic, when it comes to it! 🙂