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3.0k · Jul 2014
Snowflake
Thomas Jul 2014
I watched the snow descend to earth
Attention sought as flakes give birth
Submit to all her majesty
Surrender clouded canopy

A freezing fox that runs across
The curtilage wild turkey's toss
A lofty oak tree hides raccoon
Two fledgeling birds lose their platoon

The strapping deer takes off in flight
See squirrels flee with all their might
An Owl concluding calls of whoo
The animals know too eschew

All happens when the snowflakes fall
Am spellbound by one flake or all
The memory each one contain
Unique like us and our domain

Snowflakes and animals I see
We all are different you and me
Is random chance its proximious?
Creation not dichotomous

Am thankful I could see this view
And freedom too believe it's true

_______________
Iambic Tetrameter.  abab rhyme knit
Thomas Dec 2014
Am a Templar Knight whose allegiance is to Our Lord Jesus Christ
Sir Thomas de Charney is my name, Master of the fortress in Gaza
Was compelled to quill an account of an assault on the town of Ludd
My heart was also dazed and enamored by a young woman evermore

We left Gaza late in the day; I took 40 of my best knights with me
Fully clad in mail and helmets, we dashed long swords in scabbards
Short swords made at the ready to perlustrate with a days provisions
We headed east prepared to do battle, for God and for the cause

We approached Ludd;  saw billowing smoke; heard strangled screams
I dispatched 35 knights throughout the municipality in groups of 5 each
My orders were; execute requisite to save townspeople from slaughter
An appurtenance to the initial order: no parley with these infidels

Before dismissing my men, I saw smolder swell left flank of the border
Saw a hovel, the thatch was burning out of control and spreading apace
Around the corner were three enemy soldiers crowding over someone
Until the last few years, I knew not what **** was; the worst in a man

Despite noise of city under siege, these ******* were intoxicated in sin
The remaining five knights accompanied me and covered the perimeter
I dismounted Petra, clutched the hilt of my long sword, made approach
The three heathen sensed my bearing and turned to meet their death

Then I saw her face and was transfixed
I would yield no prisoners
Today there would be justice for this woman
I pray for swiftness of divine retribution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be continued…………

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you enjoy the story.  Remember, in short story one can add much more detail.   In poetry, or this narrative prose,  each line counts and there is only so much that can be given to the reader.   My quest is that for a brief moment I took you away to a far away land, to a town called Ludd, and watched the story unfold.    Thomas
Thomas Dec 2015
Proem

After Sir Thomas recovered the Spear of Destiny and returned it to the Pope at the Vatican in Rome, he remained there for several months serving His Excellency, attending meetings, and recovering from several minor injuries sustained while recapturing the Spear that pierced the side of Jesus the Messiah. Sir Thomas could have stayed as a guest of the pope in one of their lush suites, but he chose the bare walls of a guest bedroom at the local Knights Templar castle. The pope then called upon him for his next assignment: Leave Rome immediately, by boat, again, back to Constantinople. **“Head off a Scot by the name of Sir Robert Bruce, whom our intel indicates has a map and is currently on his way in search for the Holy Grail. Sir Robert is a stubborn ally. You will help Sir Robert, but convince him that the chalice of Jesus belongs here in Rome.”


Prior to shoving off the west coast of Italy, a few miles from Rome, Sir Thomas wrote the following message, and placed it in a bottle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My dear sweet wife and babe within her womb
The five long years since I had lost you both
I prayed for inner peace despite my joy
Your both in heaven; worship Thee Most High

Because your love exceeds all life itself
My lips will glorify you ever more
I praise you for the rest; my living days
Your name I lift on high with my bare hands

Was on my bed that I remember you
I think of you the watches of the night
The shadow of your wings I cling my soul
The depths of which my sword shall honor thee

I yearn affections taste where two come one
The seed by faith that yields abundant life
Endures celestial kingdom's perfect place
It brings this missive to its endless oath:

To bless, release my restless heart that bleeds
Commit my swords allegiance to the Lord
To you Dagung the earth is smaller still
For every inch be searched to see your face

You disappeared, not dead but still alive
I feel the transom temper my resolve
For in this ship another search begins
The Holy Grail; Dagung I'll find you both

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Postscript

I toss the bottle through the wind to stormy sea
Inside the missive of a knight in love with thee
______________
The first part of poem is a narrative.   The rest is Blank Verse, which is Iambic Pentameter without Rhymes.    The Cadence is "unstressed/STRESSED"  like "da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM"

I hope you enjoy the poem.     Thomas
1.1k · Dec 2015
Screw Job
Thomas Dec 2015
Part One

One day while in high school (am now out of college) I, Mattias,
went over to my best friend Joey's house. When I got there, as
usual, he was working; he's a nut job, or better known as a handy
man during the summer, but keeps up the big old house where Joey's
family, (Mom, Dad, five daughters and one son, Joey, the youngest) eat, sleep, and amortize the dwelling mercilessly where it's in
constant need of maintenance. e.g.: 5 girls, all girly girls and
their mother = 6 females, copious use of the room where one
rests (rest room), an enormous amount of toilet paper with all
that other female stuff that is jettisoned down the commode.
This impaction desperately attempts to navigate an old, cast iron,
privately owned (not city) sewer line and sewage system.

So one can see,
and smell, huge problems, almost daily. Btw: they have five
bathrooms. One can only connect the dots to each one of
these strategic stink-bomb sites and see a pungent, pontifical,  stanky  mess on their hands. Half the time a
bathroom is cordoned off with yellow tape, like, where's
the detective? A crime has been committed in this bathroom
by a bunch of
females.
Strangely enough, the olfaction in this old castle didn't seem to
bother these girls. As long as it was their crap, all mixed together,
they all are of the same bloodline, who cares? It was almost as
if they liked the smell, since it was theirs. It was creepy, but
these girls were so good looking it didn't matter to me. Joey
would laugh as he could see how I was enamored with them all.
Yeah, I didn't mind hanging at Joey's house. His sisters:
their beauty; was through
the roof. They were cool
inside too!

So Joey is pretty indispensable in their household. He has tons
of other jobs, paid ones, to perform, but maintaining the five
bathrooms for these girls and the two men of the household was
a full time non-profit summer job, except for expenses; how quaint?

Part Two

This one particular day I stop over,
                                                       like I do almost daily; cut
through the open garage to their entry.
                                                       Joey knew I was coming
so both glass and fire door were unlocked.
                                                       ­ I walk in, shut the latch
to the glass door and saunter straight
                                                        ­into the Kitchen and
see Joey fishing through his junk drawer
                                                        se­arching for a bolt. He
said he was working on the plumbing in
                                                        one of the bathrooms.

The next thing I know, one of the neighbors in the culdesac of
which they live, Mrs. Turigliato, knocks on the door and tries to
open it but the latch is locked. The old fire door was open, so I
could see her. I waved and walked over to open the glass door.
Says Mrs. T, “Oh hi Mattias.” I reply “Hello Mam.”

She locomotes by me with coffee
in one hand, cream and sugar dripping
on her robe and coffee droplets free-falling
onto the VA tile floor with little splatters.

A tiny planet is being hit
by mini nuclear bombs, yikes!

She approaches Joey; he's scrambling and rummaging
through their seriously versatile junk drawer for the
right size bolt to perform surgery in one of the rooms
with a bath (bathroom). She cackles,
“Hi Joey, whatcha looking for?”

Part Three

Stop here a sec!**

If Joey would have said “I'm looking for a bolt” this story
would be over. In fact, there would be no story except a big house
with a sick septic tank on private property not run by the city.
Instead, he says “I'm looking for a *****?” While we both
(Joey & I ) might have quietly chuckled, Mrs. T's response
was a bit more than I could handle at this delicate age. Says Mrs.
Turigliato, “Go see Trudy, she will give you a *****.” Trudy was
our age, Mrs. T's daughter, and she was hot, but this was too much,
my abs were killing me. It doesn't end there:

Our mouths are tongued tied shut; taut. Unbelievably, Mrs. T
presses on;

“I'm serious Joey. Go, right now, and get a ***** from Trudy.”

At this point we were holding it in, suffocating, choking, yearning
for oxygen. Eggs and bacon started to make their way up my throat. I couldn't take this. We both quietly gather some air.
Not a ******* word from Joey or I,
Mrs. T is on an oblivious roll:

“Don't you want to get a ***** from Trudy, Joey?”

I can only imagine poor Joey's mind, thinking “Yes Mrs. T, but not the type ***** you're thinking about.”

We stay quiet, not a word..... then the miracle. Joey says “I found the right bolt.”
Hearing the word bolt and not ***** evoked an inquisitive, clueless, look from Mrs. T, her painted and pointed brows scrunching up and taking on new formations, but out came no words. She turned around and waved good bye, never saying why she came over or what she needed. Joey's Mom wasn't home but Mrs. T didn't even ask or say what she wanted. Strange ****.

Conclusion

Being a few years later, Joey and I still laugh our **** off when one of us tells this story. Even at parties, dudes and girls go nuts. Maybe some day it will be one of those “you would have had to be there” stories to maintain its staying power, but so far both Joey and I have gotten dates from girls at parties after we tell this story. I guess they like something about it. That's cool with me. Mattias is my name, and my best friend is Joey.
________
Fictional narrative prose based on a true story.  I know it's a bit long but I hope you hang in there to read it all and enjoy it as well.  Thomas
1.1k · Dec 2015
The Umbrella Man
Thomas Dec 2015
i.

The day he lost her to a fallen world
He promised to be satisfied with life
His love came from above abundantly
Commissioned to give back put others first

One day the Sturm und Drang hit city streets
He viewed upon his high apartment floor
Then after business hours his neighbors parked
He witnessed many soaked from pouring rain

Instinctively he grabbed umbrella case
He pulled it from the scabbard to withdraw
His saber in right hand, ran down the stairs
Now opened sheltered fabric for the folks

The people parked now waited one by one
Because the gent had hurried them inside
He got the last one in so safe and dry
The people clapped, bade “thanks, umbrella man”

ii

Weeks later:

He heard the honking horn across the street
A straggler struggles out of vehicle
Looks like a neighbor, hadn't seen before
He gets her out of pouring rain, she smiles

This man who was as masculine as can be
Had felt his legs go weak; her pretty face
She saw his handsome face, aglow; proclaimed -
“Am pleased to meet our famed Umbrella Man”
______________

Glossary

Sturm und Drang:  noun -  turmoil, storm and stress, violent disturbance and disorder
This is in Blank Verse.  Iambic Pentameter without rhyme.  If you can read the poem to the beat of Iamb it's a much better read:   da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM ---------each syllable  unstressed/STRESSED.     I hope you enjoy the journey of The Umbrella Man and his ultimate blessing, or prize, depending on how one looks at it.     Thomas
Thomas Dec 2014
My wits toggled from this injured and betrayed woman to the Infidels
The pagan **** on the left flank of the one on the woman advanced
It ended quickly as I brandished my long sword and decapitated him
The man on the right had enough time to grip the hilt of his yataghan
I eviscerated his gut with my short rapier as he looked in astonishment
The man in the core remained; had his way for the last time on earth

The worst of the three had occasion to make ready with his scimitar
This soldier froze at the sight of my face and looked in fear, “Al Thom”
A sobriquet by the Saracens is legend and foe Sir Thomas de Charney
His fear turned to anger as he knew deaths door was at his very feet
Coming at me in rage I brachiated my legs at his shins and felled him
Laid on sward, unable to riposte, confidence winnowed, he still lived

Pulling him up on his ****, I forced his eyes to the girl [nun] a last time
Then I whispered to him in Arabic “Remember her face forever in Hell”
I put the man out of his misery with blade through his throat, ‘farewell’
As I stood up I ordered my sergeant to inquiry on the others and report
My mind was spinning as I turned to her; I advanced with foreboding
Protected all my life, women are what Father told me were so beautiful

Trembling and barely covered I took my surcoat and covered her body
Her head was down but I saw multiple bruises; she had been ravaged
She lifted her face; I froze, but in a muddle was able to ask her name
Looking through me with piercing blue eyes.... “my name is Dagung”
Though sternly contused, her skin looked pale and as soft as pure satin
Her lips were full, beyond nocturnal dreams my ***** became ruttish

Stunned and bemused I recovered, no glozing; could hardly breathe
With thanks my sergeant appeared, gave report; Ludd was now secure
I ordered 30 knights to stay on until the morrow with standard orders
Assistants and physicians remained to afford the townsfolk provisions
One physician tended to Dagung as the hovel’s fire was being damped
The remaining knights were to return to Gaza with me immediately

Haste we must to assemble additional assaults as our enemy has noted
Approaching my horse I heard a high pitched voice of a young lass
I turned, already clothed in a ragamuffin type frock was Dagung:

Dagung:    Please my lord, may I come with you?
Sir Thomas:    Ba-ba-uh, My Lady, I can’t

She was clearly an English girl, could not been more than 15 years old
“I’m sorry my lady” as I mounted my horse, I watched her walk back
Cued, “Men, let’s move it”, with alacrity we made way back to Gaza
About 10 minutes later I heard sounds of hoofs rushing close behind us
It was Dagung on horse catching up to make way with me back to Gaza
My thoughts were- my life was about to change;   I then broke a smile
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~­~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This series eventually ties in or parallels The Time Machine series.  Thanks for taking your valuable time to read this.    Thomas
Thomas Dec 2014
My name is Thomas de Charney
16 years old but rarely play
Father a humble Templar Knight
Pedigree noble bloodline might

Was born special is all I know
For God’s direction to and fro
Shield from danger ab ovo
Reason revealed from His glow

Broadsword and lance, reading abound
Practice and fight til victors crowned
Warrior and Monk seen as one
One and Only Begotten Son

Father taught me the skill to fight
Learn skill to read on parchment write
Knight Templar to be, but then what ?
Fate left to God with no rebut

Then one day Father came to me
Young Parsifal son you will be
Sequestrated as directed
Pushed to excel unaffected

Templar Knight who carries his sword
Doing God’s work for no reward
Beget with specific design
Some day made known I do consign
_____________
Father, it’s time we practice, yes—deke the
wield of your sword and parry your blows, and
push myself until all the sweat has left my
body. For I am a young Parsifal soon to become
a Templar Knight.
This series eventually parallels The Time Machine series, where I have released the first poem to that series.    This poem needs to be worked on and converted to Iambic Tetrameter.   Many of the lines are already there  e.g.  "some DAY made KNOWN i DO con-SIGN"

but, I still like it as it, so I'll eventually get there.  

This is a story of a young boy who becomes a famous Templar Knight, but along the way, many supernatural events shine though, as does a girl named Dagung.
Thomas Dec 2015
Proem

The battle at Ludd for all intents and purposes was a defeat.   Granted, the enemy was wiped out, but Sir Thomas and his men got to Ludd to late;  the loss of life of the townsfolk was inexcusable.   Sir Thomas did save a young nun named Dagung.   He left her in Ludd but she followed he and his men in route back to Gaza Castle.   Sir Thomas was a warrior and a monk.    With much to ponder, his mind went elsewhere:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writings from the archives of Sir
Thomas de Charney

About A.D. 1290

We returned to Castle Gaza
Well into the mid-night
Much of the garrison we left behind we're still awake;
My loyal knights, sergeants, men at arms
We're overladen with people;
Towns empty, townspeople secure within our towering palisade
Even their livestock; hoards were left and hidden
Closer towns were ordered within the ramparts of city walls
Our strength was the long escarpment which faced the sea
If the infidels want to attack from that venue;  come...come
They know better, and will try to find a crease in our fortress
Days....weeks.....or months, we'll be ready

Ludd was a misfortune, a ****** beyond our umbrella;
Never again will this happen under my watch
I extended the perimeter of our municipality
Will introduce this measure at the next Grand Council
There was much to do, decisions to be made to protect the people
The treaty was broken, so it seems, after the debacle in Ludd
I dispatched an emissary to Acre to advise Our Grand Master
Until we get our orders, we will defend our defilade

My mind was in utter denial upon returning from Ludd
Caged by this young lady, a nun to boot, named Dagung; on horse
Chasing after our brigade relentlessly, hoofs digging the earth
Then “Please my lord, may I accompany you to Castle Gaza?”
After that slight curve of my lips, tried as I could; I failed to say no
Why?  I don't know what beauty is, but I can't take my eyes off her
Dagung would not leave my mind, but now what do I do ?
Good God,  my ***** and *****; sensitive to the touch
My problem is my lack of proclivities.....of..of....a, the female
This, I was not taught.  Is this not a concept to be learned ?

She, once a ******, ravaged by truculent *******
Me - warrior, monk, Templar Knight and Master at Gaza;
A ******; only of recent time understanding how a woman gets pregnant
From my perspective and upbringing
A female of this apotheosis may as well come from another existence
Or times past, or, of futures unknown
Perhaps a separate species

Before I could allow her into the Knights Templar castle
Dagung was safe within the city walls
My squire Geoffroi hired a few maidens
To prep her and look after her needs

By now she is in one of our guest rooms
Waiting on me


(to be continued)

____________
Thomas Dec 2014
This is not the beginning of my story
Nor will it be the end,
Hasten or not, it must be told
In my undying grief I can no longer go on without His strength

I am Sir Thomas de Charney, of the Order of the Knights Templar
Born in the Year of Our Lord 1270, now a man, 20 years old
My Father is William de Charney, Grand Master of the Order
He is currently headquartered at Acre,  I Master at Gaza

Our lineage dates back to 1119, with the nine original Knights
The Order and my Ancestors names will live on forever
Until I was 18 I was unaware of the outside world
That story is for another time

At present the Christians control most of the Holy Land
However, the Muslims, or Saracens, continued to wreak havoc
They pillaged and plundered the villages outside our fortifications
The infidels accomplished this madness using vagabonds or tribesman

This story is about my love, Dagung;  ne’er was a woman as beautiful
I was Master of the City of Gaza the first time I laid eyes on her face

While our garrison remained strong, proximal towns were under attack
Rakish strikes by Muslim non-essential forces made them dangerous
This we knew was the first line of assault by the Saracens
At the moment they were just toying with our minds in ludic form

Bearing assault on our townspeople like poltroons I took umbrage
Therefore I dispatched my men accordingly to make well the trouble

On this particular engagement I decided to join my men.
_________________

To be continued
The Templar Knight Series and The Time Machine, in due time, become parallel series.     This one is free verse narrative.
660 · Nov 2014
The Time Machine
Thomas Nov 2014
After years of thorough research
Total secret from Christian Church
Friends and family have no idea
I invented a perfect panacea

Crafted malleable Time Machine
No one on Earth could have foreseen
Anneal and temper machine was built
To facilitate life -- lived to the hilt

You want to go back in time with me ?
Heed the rules and then we'll see
Can’t change the past, nor save Lincoln
Not the purpose if that’s your thinking

The warp of time starts from the heart
You'll feel the change when we depart
Enclosure fits two, no more can go
Both make amends no quid pro quo

Now press the button, pull on my Vandyke
On that brave moment super nova shall strike
Abscond, attempt to destroy temporal might
Your angst will build walls no more, in flight
This is the first from a parallel series of The Time Machine and Sir Thomas de Charney Templar Knight.   Each time I edit it a bit as I am more into meter now and this one is a bit "off" but brings back good memories when I started writing poetry.   Some of the lines are in iambic tetrameter, some start in trochaic prosody;   I'll keep refining along the way as I travel through time.    Thanks.  Thomas
Thomas Dec 2015
.
.
I ran my normal jog today
Upon a crossing breeze
This peace of Wind stopped on a dime
I leaned against the trees

The Wind then asked "Can I be seen?"
Said "No, but KNOW you're there"
The Wind replied "Are you so sure?"
"Through Faith and not despair"

_________
The poem is written in Common Meter;  mixed meter, where lines 1 & 3 are in Iambic Tetrameter and lines 2 & 4 are in Iambic Trimeter.   If one can read this poem to the beat of Iambic Prosody:
e.g. S1, L1

i RAN my NOR-man JOG  to-DAY

You might feel the wind, even think you see it.  Learning who the Wind was at one point changed my life for the better.

I hope you enjoy.    Thomas

Note:  Any critique is welcome
545 · Dec 2015
Clouds
Thomas Dec 2015
Splinters from earth
Are penetrating my skin
I protect and wash the earth
All day
All over

My coat, my skin
Separates earth from heaven
When the forest of mother earth
Makes its way to heaven
Without permission:

It hurts
The prompt to this poem:  originated when a poet posted a challenge with a pic prompt of beautiful clouds, from the other side, and breaking through the clouds were tall, high pine trees.  It was a remarkable pic.   The second part is somewhat metaphoric and
you can take what you wish from it.    :)    Thomas
509 · Aug 2014
Doubt
Thomas Aug 2014
Decisions made without a thought
Are not the things that can be taught
Split second ones can fill the page
That cross my mind then disengage

Abulia comes within one's doubt
A minute passed they may die out
One life is saved another lost
Do what we can at any cost

Then think things over if you must
The longer wait can cause mistrust
Don't stop to ponder then react
By then she's gone no second act

I told my love “touch you to breathe”
Each moment counts her face I sheathe
______________
We have all be told or advised to take time
when making a decision.  However, there are
situations where split decisions are paramount,
like in this poem, both in profession, and closer
to the one's we love.

The couplet at the end, the part in quotations,
was personal, made up by the author years ago,
and basically means you love someone so much
you have to “touche them to breathe”....to store
up enough oxygen while she's gone so one can
live.  The meter is off on it.  Oh well...lol
________________________________________
Poem is written in Iambic Tetrameter....best
read with a beat of unstressed then STRESSED
syllable....e.g   last  line:   by THEN she's GONE
no SE-cond ACT.      This is for those trying to
learn meter or don't know but might like to know.
I had a mentor and am still learning this stuff, so
am not boasting....am barely getting it.   Thomas
___________________________________________
400 · Dec 2015
Types of Tears
Thomas Dec 2015
The last time that I dropped a tear
So long a time ago
A tear of sadness shows its feel
She's gone that's all I know

Ten years expire gave up on love
Content in who I am
I changed the focus of my life;
The blood of Christ the lamb

Am on to concert at our church;
Believers of the Cross
My heart is pierced by limbate eyes
Tongue tied and at a loss

Go out to eat with friends that night
Large table, chairs were full
Except for one right next to her;
Excite me for the cull

I looked into blue bordered dreamy eyes
A tear of joy; no longer in disguise
____________
The poem is written in Common Meter, except for last couplet, which is rhymed Iambic Pentameter.  Common Meter is mixed meter, lines 1 & 3 are in Iambic Tetrameter and lines 2 & 4 are Iambic Trimeter.   Rhyme pattern is abcb.    

The poem is a true story of the loss of first love and the meeting of 2nd love, the only girls I have ever loved.

I hope you enjoy this entry and read this in iamb;  makes such a difference.    Thomas

— The End —