This veil spun by
A knight of reality,
Breaking struggle into riches
Like a heavenly collapse.
An intricate escape from
The waiting womb
Of distortion and melancholy;
Illusion of a metaphorical tomb.

Eternally great is
The mask weaver,
Painting faces open to truth,
Waking new dreamers.
Sing to life these
Revelations while
I drop the veil
And truly perceive.

Every knight swords
A razor sharpened tip
To pare into the souls
Of their many subjects

Sir Very Special Naipaul
An august knight was he.
His felt-tipped glaive
Donned in ink stained valour

It cuts, this sword, above all
Deep into the mind
Bending, shaping its stream
Of understanding

Every knight who swords
A razor sharpened end
Must pen into our hearts
The most noble trend

Translated by Przemyslaw Musialowski 10/30/2019

There, in my country, in a faraway land
a hundred dimmed stars shine in a crown,
one hundred extinguished stars above the field stand,
like a hundred knights in an iron armor clad.

There, in my country, in a faraway land
one hundred red-hot hearts with longing burn,
one hundred red-hot hearts pound in the chest
like a ghost into armor iron plates.

There, in my country, in a faraway land
one hundred winds are galloping through fallow lands,
one hundred winds are galloping through the steppe trail
like one hundred steeds' golden horseshoes beating the ground.

And when one hundred days, one hundred nights shall pass,
with hearts full of power knights will rise,
knights will rise, horses will mount,
and they'll light up stars in the golden crown.

Maria Konopnicka (1842-1910)

guards up, defenses strong
holding an indifferent glare
treading, walking, running on this path
confidence strongly shielded from attack

charged on the embodiment of strength
adorning armor of pain and feeling
crafted in bitter portrayal and forged
with the much hurt he had caused

presumptuous ego from long nonchalance
a journey coldly carved so clearly forward
time only reaffirming the deepened beliefs
that the unguarded to feeling are indeed weak

unbeknownst to the soldier, a universe
would soon make itself known, inescapable
dawning in the most inconspicuous ways
it would seem as though it were all his doing

creeping in oh so subtly, fear greets the soldier
alas! The enigmatic enemy slipped his defenses
the birth of emotion announces itself gallantly
fireworks shoot through his long barren skies

never anticipating that his ultimate defeat
would be through brown eyes so kind
they bring life to a heart deadbeat
hope illuminating a hallowed mind

by falling into the trap so greatly feared
he found solace within unending chaos
bridging insanity an epiphany so sure
he had lost nothing that was his

in belonging an ego is not owed to man
rather amass the one treasure which he
had long been running from in twisted irony
accepting fate that he, possibly was worthy
After all love, he finally embraced his savior.

A knight pretending he
Is imperfect,
Surrendering the bind
For softeness and
Passing his earthly
Emptiness to the
Sleepy sea.

A surreal muse for
This rejected girl;
Emotionally abandoned
And feeling discarded.
A knight armed
With charm
Was gifted to me.

Lose a tire? Tires,
they come and go.
Do you have a grip?

The wheel works, but,
what's the point
if the blue sparks fly?

Some words stuck
well inside this
sternum of mine
just need be said.

What's the point of
you and I, then?
Are we always safe?

What's the point of
this fear of life
when I'll soon be
nothing more than dead?

Hold your eyes, then,
til the heart arrives.
Sparks cannot fill
me up inside with dread.

I was raised to protect the throne of the king
A warrior summoned to slice everything
Fighting for years a battle not mine
It polished my skills, it made me shine

I cannot count the lives I've taken
Nor the screams of children I've been slayin'
All I remember was the sword I'm swinging
Under the rainy sky, I felt like drowning

How can I be a hero of my country?
When only few of us returns home out of many
This has nothing to do with fate and destiny
This is clearly a product of a greedy authority

I was once a coward, couldn't face the truth
Being just a knight, it ruined my youth
Wearing this armor symbolizes my dignity
I took it off, it sent me to reality.

- SHADOWS