Competition

Second Prize

The Last Blacksmith
by Rick Stone

It's told he was born in God's own land
Where rainforest meets the sky
Where lakes were formed from meteors
In another time gone by
Where starry nights form another world
And the cloaking blackness breathes
Beneath canopies of gold and green
And beds of crackling leaves

He was one of seven I've heard it said
He was as one with the land
But his father suffered not for fools
And was prone to raise his hand
But it's true what doesn't kill you
Takes nurture from the rains
And the spirit of the great far north
Flows freely through his veins

He was stocky and short with an impish smile
And eyes gleaned from the sky
And wicked humour that ran quite deep
Though it tended towards dry
He was bronzed and leathered from sun and wind
With the heart of a raging steed
And passion forged from dreams of steel
At one with the equine breed

He came from the time when anvil and forge
Lost favour to machine
But he plied his trade with tradition true
And his work was pure and clean
He mastered an art that was soon to die
Like so much more to come
But still he stuck to ways of old
And was envied thus by some

He was larger than rumour for those who knew
And driven by desire
And reputation came his way
Through flying fists of fire
To say he was hard would be less than true
For he was forged himself like steel
And many a man would testify
They fell victim to his zeal

He loved too early it's thought by some
And his European bride
Drove from God's own land one day
With their daughter by her side
And fire rang down and thunder raged
But he housed it deep within
Behind closed doors he has since denied
And hides beneath his grin

So the last blacksmith belied his pain
And surrendered to the need
And gave the love he had to share
To a more forgiving breed
Through toil he sweated from dawn to dusk
Through the burning sun's hot glare
But the creatures he had grown to love
Are now better for his care

Now the last blacksmith is older sure
Though he's still as hard as steel
And he has another family now
And again he's learned to feel
But he's not at home within his heart
If he can't be strong and stand
With an anvil solid at his side
And a hammer in his hand