I Fight For My Lady's Colours, I Fight For My Lady's Honour. Poem by Shaun Cronick

I fight for my lady's colours,
In this savage cruel cauldron of woe.
I fight for my lady's honour,
In a macabre festival that is on show.

For age old tradition brings her here,
Her proud house so noble, honest and always true.
And I its undefeated loved champion,
Under our banner of crimson red and azure blue.

My opponent so arrogantly strides out,
He is huge, towering over seven foot tall.
No wave of morbid fear washes over me,
The taller they are the bloodier they'll fall.

I know of him and his accursed name,
Akrill! All innocents fear and dread.
A slayer of women, children and old folk,
On this day, will lose his evil head.

At the arena centre he smiles at me,
Hearing his supporters chanting his name.
I look deep into his dark eyes and decide,
To make him suffer first as part my game.

My lady drops her lace handkerchief,
From a balcony perched high above.
Our death duel at last commences!
One I will not lose, for her I truly love.

Akrill then throws sand in my face,
A dirty trick so overused and known.
As I expected and parry his lethal sword,
For I have a few tricks, of my own.

He's very good, of that there is no doubt,
But I have victored over equally skilled.
Hard battles in equally hard contests,
So many hard men I've fought and killed.

Again he rushes at me like bull from a gate,
So strong and powerful almost beyond belief.
But I will use his anger to my advantage,
Up close and personal to give him brutal grief.

We fight at length, fade then empty fade,
Thrust and counter thrust, blade against blade.
We never dare tire, we never dare falter.
Evenly matched? In this vast cruel altar.

We lunge, we pivot, our stances hold true,
But my speed and stamina will see me through.
Iron against iron, blow and counter blow.
Block and parry, soon blood will flow.

Blood will soon flow and it will be mine,
In his other hand he now holds a dagger.
Another cheap trick as he smiles yet again,
Time now for me to end his smug swagger.

I drop my sword and he rushes upon me,
Then I fall like a stone quickly before him.
I rise like a serpent grabbing both his wrists,
He's shocked at my grip so tight on each limb.

His dagger hand slowly moves towards my face,
He's now thinking he has the better of me.
But I'm just teasingly guiding it there,
As it nicks with my blood that he can see.

Whilst his eyes widen with devilish delight,
And for a brief instant he relaxes his grip.
A fraction of time I make my deadly move,
As I fight on the edge of my brinkmanship.

I bend like a reed in the winter's wind,
Pivoting and turning all at the same times.
Twisting his held dagger deep into his eye,
He screams but hasn't yet paid for his crimes.

He drops his weapons as I pick up my blade,
Howling in agony as I cut off his sword hand.
Then his arm and I glare into his good eye,
A moment passes then his head falls to the sand.

I pick it up with his mouth ajar and he blinks,
Another moment passes between us then he is no more.
My lady and all look upon me in stunned silence,
Then all chant my name on the victor they now adore.

I slowly walk out and hurl his hideous head away,
It lands among his supporters who all applaud me.
And I pass my lady's most trusted house magician,
Then he talks, as I listen, then I nod and agree.

In my lady's chambers filled with lace and finery,
On a bed she lies naked that makes my heart sing.
I'm naked and my body now at last sweetly surrenders,
For my lady is my queen and this night I am her king.

Dawn breaks and I leave, I destroy my sword as told,
I see only Merlin observing me from a high banister.
I wade into the lake, the misty waters ethereally do part,
As the rising Lady of the Lake gifts to me Excalibur!
My name is Arthur!

Copyright Shaun Cronick.2020.All Rights Reserved.