Stone Heart Poem by Jacquie StewartHeimann

In the ruined castle lies
A fearsome dragon with blazing eyes
Nearby villagers quake with fear
That more loved ones would disappear

Close by a door creaks in the dark
Scuffled steps, a lone dog barks
Up a path a child roams
Straying far, so far from home

A mother cries out in the night
Sounds of terror filled with fright
An empty bed, a child gone
What fate awaits this innocent one

The villagers take to the streets
Alleys echo with running feet
Stables, woods and paths that wind
But the child they did not find

In the square elders amass
With cries of rage and faces aghast
“A chosen champion, he must go
To face and slay this dragon foe! ”

Out he rides with sword and mace
Out across the barren wastes
For lives to save, he must complete
This deadly deed with no retreat

A quiet sound, the dragon wakes
A roar rebounds, the cave mouth quakes
A breath is drawn to flame and burn
This mighty beast’s death blow’s assured

A tiny hand, a soft caress
A gentle voice with love professed
Innocence shines from trusting eyes
The dragon pauses in surprise

From out the woods the champion rides
His sword is drawn, the time is nigh
As he nears the dreaded beast
On what a sight his eyes did feast

Beneath the massive, gleaming jaws
Cradled in the dragons claws
The child sleeps with features fair
The sun upon her golden hair

A quiet rumble, a warning hiss
To strike with sword the man resists
Love flares out of blazing eyes
Gazing down the dragon sighs

With innocent and tender heart
Her pristine soul breaks through the block
Sensations blossom, long unknown
A mothers heart returns from stone