“poems from the cauldron”
The March of Progress
Forward, ever Forward
And Onward to the End
May our power never falter
May our metal never bend
May invention never fail us
Let ambition be our friend
We go forward, ever Forward
And Onward to the End.
The Great Work
To make one into many
And let many become one
To quell the biting, deadly heat
And join the moon and sun
Make paradise of barren lands
And let hunger take none
This Magnum Opus lights the way
I’ll stay until it’s done.
Fortune
So often have we heard it told
That Fortune’s favour finds the bold
To venture forth in search of gold
And lay claim to what’s bought and sold
But not all’s equal in her eyes
And not all men can claim a prize
That’s kept for one who stakes their ties
On fortune’s lows and fortune’s highs
For Lady Luck’s a wily foe
Who’d just as soon shun cheer for woe
Many who’ve sought should surely know
What’s taken in the undertow
So if you seek your fortune, heed:
Beware the siren’s song of greed
Let not your want o’ercome your need
For Miss Fortune is cruel indeed.
The Water of Life
Come, my friends, and listen well,
For I’ve a story I wish to tell
About a hero in days of strife
Who blessed us with the Water of Life.
A time of terror, crashing worlds
When all did seem to come unfurled
Monsters and villains, up to no good
Descended on our peaceful wood
The elders fraught, they had no clue
Of what it was we ought to do
Our people feared, our forests burned
By the gods, we had been spurned
But suddenly, the land did shake
An ancient power did awake
To quench the fires of the drake
So came the Spirit of the Lake!
And water fell upon the land
And wiped the ashes off the sand
Our cries of thanks did echo clear
Just as the water of the weir.
Today, the spirit slumbers still
Waiting for the day until
We need its power yet again
And they’ll be welcomed as a friend.
So raise your cups and take a drink
Sip deeply, friends, and only think
Of the spirit that came in days of strife
And blessed us with the Water of Life.
Forged in Ice
Bloody bonds are forged in Ice
The frozen mountains all around
Where two kingdoms splinter twice
But by blood they still stay bound.
A warlike city, broke apart
Till time would let them meet once more
One kept the arms, one took the heart
A wound for one that still stays sore.
And further north, in ancient beds
A king of giants slumbers deep
Until a dreamer links the threads
To shake the giants from their sleep.
There are great secrets in the ice
And some things should remain unfound
Two distant cousins, one great price
But by blood they still stay bound.
Scattered
The Earth underfoot
Is trod upon everyday
And yet it remains
Rushing water flows
It soothes well the thirsty soul
But carves through the rock
The air above us
Is free to roam through the sky
But yields to our breath
The fire, burning bright
Preserves the warm light of hope
But burns away flesh
Four scattered spirits
That must be brought together
To stop marching war
Seasons of Change
I’ve seen many things change
I’ve seen saplings grow to mighty oaks
I’ve seen two worlds become one
I’ve seen one world become dozens
I’ve seen petty kings wage war for their slice of dirt
I’ve seen ships leave port to never return
I’ve seen nature brought to heel by men
I’ve seen men brought to heel by nature
I’ve seen spring turn to summer turn to fall turn to winter
And I’ve seen the winter turn to spring again
I’ve seen many things
I’ve seen many changes
I’ve seen your mistakes made many times before
And yet you do not heed my words.