Etre – Slaying Your Dragon or
Notes from the Round Table, Part 1
Invariably I find myself seeing, interpreting and casting things in epic proportions. Chalk it up to growing up raiding the shelves of the Limestone Elementary School Library from ages 8-12.
The subject of choice?
Arthurian legends were by far the most fascinating subject for me – no doubt a natural progression from growing up on the classic fairy tales – you know the ones – where the 3 little pigs actually cooked the wolf and ate it and then danced around!
Sir Thomas Mallory’s tales had all of the good stuff – legends, chivalry, romance, good, evil, quests, good deeds, magic, treachery, drama, misdeeds, redemption, courage, honor, jousts – well you get the idea.
So being a longtime writer I am often surprised at what spills out onto the pages of the trusty journal. Rather than crafting and molding it – I often find it more interesting to just let it pour out.
Last night’s entry:
Etre
Of the many things we could be
In life we must choose paths,
We must learn how to live
And learn why we live
We must weigh wisdom and history
And live a life examined
In order to wring the most of our gifts
And avoid being consumed by our appetites
Each rise and fall –
If we’re lucky we learn
From the cavalier, from the
Heartbroken sot, the genius,
The fool, the fearless, the
Helpless, the hedonist, the
Sinner clinging to prayer,
The lover, the fighter
We must learn from the
Many facets of ourselves.
Of the many forms of success
That we attain – perhaps the
Most painful and most rewarding
Is that of personal growth –
To be more than we ever thought
We could be, to push ourselves
To new heights and be
Good enough to help others
Do the same. For nowhere
Would we be if not for the
Lovingkindness of others.
Helping others in our journeys
Is really also a gift of peace
That we give ourselves.
So light the light, forge ahead,
Shine the light, show the way,
Help the wayward, as we were
Helped ourselves. Be joyous,
Have peace, swing the sword
And slay the dragon.
Peace.
Joe Wooldridge
Saturday, June 7th, 2014 7:03am
Okay, so what does the featured image have to do with slaying dragons? Well, that’s Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere and Franco Nero as Sir Lancelot du Lac in the movie “Camelot”. I mean, hey – a man’s got to have some inspiration!