Sunday, January 18, 2015

The Ball At The End Of The Knight

"Clashing Swords" from TV Tropes
Clasped in steel threads
Men at arms facing one another
Like soldiers ready for battle
Armed with swords and shields
Both extensions of their body
In fashionable order they draw
Order and procedure demanding
Taking one step forward
Dead hard glares on the prize
Their enemies closing in
One step at a time
Performing a sort of waltz
Until they're face to face
A war horn sounds off
Let the battle commence.

In a flurry of blades
Cutting close to the throat
Each knight strikes true
Marking the target pursued
With reddened tasteful bliss
Each drop of sweat like blood
They dance around in circles
Clashing hard with steel
Exchanging blows in motion
They are the heroes in silver
Sword masters and their sisters
Fighting till the last breath
In which the chime is signaled
The battle isn't won or lost
Just honorable bows of victory

In this magnificent dance hall.   


This poem was selected as a submission for the Sunday Mini-Challenge by Kerry O' Connor, over at Imaginary Garden With Real Toads.

23 comments:

  1. What a clear way the battle cries are heard in this dance of yours.. this is a ball of sorts. I agree.

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    1. I was hoping the play on words and the metaphor would stand out.

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  2. What a battle it would be!
    The flow of your words is brimming with a tension, corresponding to its theme. Well-penned. :-)
    -HA

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    1. Pardon me but somehow, I missed on the second stanza.
      Let me revise my words.

      The parallel drawn with a battle is tasteful... and brimming with energy. A witty way to represent the ongoing in a dancing hall. Well-penned.

      -HA

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    2. HA,

      I'm glad that the metaphor stood out. I was worried that it would be too close to the theme of fantasy, and so the metaphor would kind of die, but thankfully it didn't. Thank you for the comment.

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  3. The movement is so very dance-like. Enjoyed this, Kenn.

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    1. I thought I could have played around with the verses a little bit rather than leaving it in two columns like I did, but it did read out pretty good.

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  4. This is quite a poem, Kenn. So many battles are not won or lost...but just continue on.

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  5. I am very attracted to the color red *no surprise, huh?* So I was drawn to these lines: "With reddened tasteful bliss / Each drop of sweat like blood / They dance around in circles". The color made me look twice, but it is the imagery of the entire scene that kept me there. And the phraseology, "drop of sweat like blood" especially.

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  6. It was a tough battle to paint on that dance floor. Also it was a tribute to the dancers out there because that stuff is really hard to do. They really push themselves to learn to perform.

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    1. I've actually seen a Chinese sword dancer before. It is a beautiful feat of performance indeed.

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  8. You have captured the energy and dance-like grace of swordplay very well, Kenn. I enjoyed the read.

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    1. Thank you Kerry, I'm happy you enjoyed this dance-like read.

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  9. I just finished watching the film 'King Arthur' with Keira Knightley and Clive Owen--so I can relate to the vivid battle scenes very visually--and an interesting use of dance hall--the ballet of violence and death, 'clasped,' as you say, 'in steel threads.'

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    1. That movie is a great inspiration to grab from. I've always been easily amused by the medieval period, or anything that relates to fantasy.

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  10. To picture it as a dance is good imagery. I like this

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    1. I was definitely influenced by novels I've read. The scenes of battle in fantasy are always so fascinating.

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  11. I see this as a sword fight - that is similar to a dance…. but I read above and it IS supposed to be a dance?

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    1. Try imagining a sword as being an extension of one's self. Exchanging blows with an enemy in sword play is much like a dance upon the battlefield.

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  12. What a vivid picture of the battle!

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All comments would be appreciated.