A Knight Long Gone

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Old friend,

Do you remember

the smell of horse and

leather on the breeze?

Do you remember

the weight we carried with

the strength of youth?

Do you remember

the fearless charge as

we boldly faced the enemy?

Do you remember

our proud, triumphant,

return to hearth and home?

Do you remember

how normal did not feel the same?

Do you remember

wanting to travel

back in time?

Do you remember

wanting to trade comfort

for the pain we shared?

But most of all….

Do you remember me?

In the many years since

I battled at your side

I seem to have forgotten.

Who am I?

Now old and gray, when once

I was a hero.

Do you remember?

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BONUS CONTENT

Years ago, I bought a book titled “The Eloquent Poem”. It’s a wonderful resource and provides a great opportunity to learn more about poems. It contains descriptions of various styles, provides examples from a collection of poets, and includes commentary/insights from the writers.

Here are some examples from the book (and context for my poem):

Litanies, Catalogs, & Lists

“The organizing principle in litany poems is anaphora (from the Greek: “a carrying up or back”), the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence. The accumulation of these repetitions creates a spell-like effect upon the poem.” pg. 15

Epistles & Postcards

”An epistle is a letter poem that can be addressed to anyone or anything. In writing an epistle, you build a personal bridge to someone living, someone departed, or from the past, maybe even fictitious.” pg. 35

Hopefully the additional insight was worth your time! Thanks for reading this far and for supporting my efforts. It’s greatly appreciated!