Bannenir Poem by Steve Howard

As I set out for Bannenir,
the night was dark, the night was drear.
The night the deepest of the year,
as I set out for Bannenir.
And the spirits rose above the spires,
their voices cold ancestral fires.
"If you go forth, then you may find,
what lies ahead still lies behind,
and what seems far, just could be near,
on the road to Bannenir.
Steel the soul ere you depart,
the road leads straightway through the heart.
You will become what you most fear,
on the road to Bannenir.".
So, clad in princely armor bright,
sword held aloft against the night,
the night the deepest of the year,
I set out for Bannenir.
I timeless traveled far and near,
without a guide, a star, a seer,
each cobblestone a bitter tear,
on the road to Bannenir.
Hope had long since gone to dust.
The sword and armor gone to rust.
It was the waning of the year,
when at last I came to Bannenir.
And the spirits rose above the spires.
Their voices warm ancestral fires.
"So long to wander, lost, alone,
to seek a truth you have always known.
Forgiveness sweet, redemption near.
The day the brightest of the year.
Welcome back to Bannenir.".