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The Poet Knight

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... The pen is mightier than the sword ... The poet knight went off to war To prove his valor true. Sir Arthur Berk, the troubadour, Knew he had much to do For he had found a greater sword To strike his foes down dead. He swore to fight invading horde And make their ink spill red. Each lord, farm hand and tavern maid, Had often heard him tell The fierceness of his secret blade And all the foes it fell. Of dragons and of armies past He'd read this weapon killed. The legend of his sword was vast; The ink would soon be spilled. Soon rival horde had come again All took up sword and shield. The armies prepped for battle then Were met upon the field. They yelled and brandished spear and dirk But soon were silent when All held their breath to watch Sir Berk As he unsheathed his ... pen? He rushed in sure and unconcerned But fell at the first blow, And what new truth he might have learned I guess we'll never know. But if, perhaps, he'd been more keen Sir Berk might still yet live; Too late he learned the difference 'tween Literal and Figurative. 9.13.18 Contest: Unsheathe Your Sword

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Line Gauthier

Date: 9/23/2018 11:51:00 PM

Bravo. Your rhythm is impeccable. Congrats on your well deserved win, Jesse.

Sandra Haight

Date: 9/23/2018 7:23:00 PM

Jesse, back to congratulate on your placement in the contest for this so cleverly written poem! Sandra :)

Eve Roper

Date: 9/23/2018 4:22:00 PM

Congratulations on you win, Jesse, pretty awesome ...Eve

Susan Ashley

Date: 9/23/2018 12:09:00 PM

I enjoyed reading and hearing your enthralling poem, Jesse, expressed with smooth rhythm, awesome rhymes and a keen wit. Excellent verses with a surprise twist for an outstanding ending, especially the last line. Congratulations on your wonderful win. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Susan Ashley
Date: 9/23/2018 9:58:00 PM

Wonderful word play! Your creativity and wit, based on the meaning of 'berk', is well appreciated and was well done.. It set up the clever impact of your last line perfectly! :))

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/23/2018 2:37:00 PM

Keener than Sir Berk at least. BTW, berk is, according to the thesaurus, a slang word for a stupid person. An early and vague foreshadowing that things aren't going to end well for him. Thanks for the read and comment.

Wendy Watson

Date: 9/23/2018 2:13:00 AM

I really enjoyed re-reading this, Jesse and many congratulations on your win. Thanks also for the information about the stylistic title you provided. I shall try this rhythm sometime myself. best wishes Wendy

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/23/2018 2:39:00 PM

Thank you again. It's actually a pretty straightforward rhyme scheme and once you get started, it comes fairly naturally (for me anyway). Not like iambic pentameter that I really wrestle with for some reason.

Gershon Wolf

Date: 9/22/2018 9:15:00 PM

Back with congrats on your placement in the contest. (Could have been a bit higher, methinks). Best wishes, gw

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/22/2018 10:44:00 PM

I appreciate your vote After judging some contests myself I know just making the top 10 is quite an accomplishment.

Janice Canerdy

Date: 9/22/2018 1:02:00 PM

Magnificent ballad, Jesse! Comment on last two stanzas--OUCH! CONGRATS on your win!! Janice

John Lawless

Date: 9/22/2018 12:26:00 PM

The fallacy of fantasy...come to life. Thanks for entering the contest

Sandra Haight

Date: 9/18/2018 12:29:00 PM

So very clever, Jesse, with an unimagined ending that took me by surprise! Amazingly well-written and I enjoyed listening to it too. Best wishes for the contest. Sandra

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/18/2018 12:35:00 PM

Certainly a bit of wry humor. It got a sigh and eye roll from my teen daughter -- whatever that's about.

Gershon Wolf

Date: 9/17/2018 2:03:00 AM

Ingenious, Jesse. :) gw

Joanna Daniel

Date: 9/14/2018 8:48:00 AM

Playful ending, Jesse, brilliant :)

Wendy Watson

Date: 9/14/2018 3:13:00 AM

What a fun storyline and such a clever, witty ending, Jesse. Edward Bulwer-Lytton would have been proud of you! Is there a name for this very effective rhyme scheme? Wendy

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/14/2018 5:56:00 AM

An interesting question. I really just wrote it that way as it seemed natural and fun as it made each alternating line rise and then fall, but the alternating 8/6/8/6 meter is apparently called ballad meter according to a quick Google search.

Leo Larry Amadore

Date: 9/13/2018 4:44:00 PM

I enjoyed your poem and hearing you read it was an added pleasure. And, yes, I have noticed (from rare comments on some of my postings here) that there are some (perhaps many) who tend to read most things quite literally while often missing the figurative......

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/14/2018 5:57:00 AM

According to my wife, I am often guilty of that, myself. Thanks for the comment.

Ilene Bauer

Date: 9/13/2018 4:26:00 PM

very creative, jesse! best of luck in the contest...

Darlene De Beaulieu

Date: 9/13/2018 1:51:00 PM

Hello Jesse, it looks like poet warrior learned his lesson way- too late. Enjoyed this poem. Have a nice day my friend.

Jesse Rowe
Date: 9/13/2018 2:07:00 PM

Thank you. This one is a bit on the nose based on the direction given, but I had fun with it none-the-less. I'm glad you enjoyed it.