Chivalry Never Dies (Or So They Say)

Chivalry, they said, would never die,
Yet I, the savior of the deceased, know why.
Once alive, vibrant, and whole,
He held the weight of my faltering soul.

We laughed, we bantered, we shared the days,
He soothed my doubts and cleared my haze.
In times of anguish, he'd always appear,
A steadfast presence to quiet my fear.

But I was blind, so lost in my needs,
I never noticed his silent pleas.
He gave and gave till he was no more,
A shadow walking, his spirit sore.

A living carcass, drained and spent,
Yet never a word of his discontent.
I saw him crumble, day by day,
A residue of light that faded away.

I tried to mend, I tried to care,
But his burden grew too great to bear.
So I closed the door to what once was,
To save myself from breaking because—

Though he returned, his light renewed,
I know his glow will soon subdue.
For this Chivalry is long since gone,
A fleeting star before the dawn.

"See you on the other side," I sigh,
For even legends must say goodbye.