Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.
~Walt Whitman

~THE KNIGHT AND THE SPARROW~


Fate did rule, above all chance
From boy to man, to hold the lance
At first a toy, a training game
Swung with joy, and without aim

Thru the years the skills were honed
To honor and protect the throne
From tournaments, thru holy days
A code of knighthood was the way

The chosen few, that Arthur found
Sat side by side, at table round
With honor, courage, dignity
These men were bound thru loyalty

This code of honor, etched in soul
Stayed with one knight, thru years now old
Tho posture bent, and hair now white
His heart shown with an inner light

With dignity for simple deeds
His twilight years still held the creed
That gave him strength through battle grounds
Thru crusades where true hell was found

One day at routine, daily chores
He heard a chirp from forest floor
A sound of panic, mixed with pain
And in the leaves, a sparrow laid

Her wing was bent, and fresh with blood
Her feathers caked with hardened mud
Her eyes just started into his own
He felt her pain......and took her home

He cleaned her wing and set it straight
And fed her food off of his plate
He kept her warm, thru coldest nights
Under his blanket, right by his side

Soon she grew strong, and tried to fly
From trusted hands, towards bluest skies
But she'd come back, and he would smile
His head her perch, as was her style

These two made for the oddest pair
Throughout their travels drawing stares
Known thru the kingdom, across the miles
This duo gathered countless smiles

If not for her, he'd be alone
Their bond was strong as hardest stone
His kindness saved her very life
Her health became his heart's delight

As he reflected on his years
His battles, honors, and frontiers
He felt his greatest feat to be
The gift of love, to one in need

For purpose lies, not in the banner
That flies above, in royal manner
But from the core of our emotions
When we extend kindest devotion

Anita
December 30, 2002