The Man in the Arena

Toward the Horizon

This fanfare
Is not just for the common man,
But for the working man,
To those who toil every day,
Paving the way toward the horizon,
Laying the foundations of morality and virtue,
So that their fruit of the labors will be enjoyed,
For generations to come.

This is a salute,
To those who go into battle
Where others dare not go,
To those who pioneer into the unknown,
Because they believed in something more,
In something greater than themselves,
Their past is a present to the future,
Their vision a gift,
For generations to come.

This is a tribute,
To those who put duty and obligation,
Servile of a great nation,
For outstanding spirit and citizenship,
Striving to succeed even in the face of uncertainty,
Even when it means suffering a loss,
Because nothing is ever won without sacrifice.
It’ a lesson,
For generations to come.

This is a nod,
To those whose strength fortify others,
Those whose values and principles
Help shape the code of society,
Their work ethic is something to be admired,
When they stand up to fight for what they believe in.
Their courage is the groundwork,
An example,
For generations to come.

This is a pomp,
Regardless of whatever circumstance,
To those in the arena,
For whatever struggle the New World man may face,
We triumph when we learn from our mistakes,
It will be our names in the pages history,
When they read of our cause,
Our legacy for generations.

Warrior

I wake long before light slides
into the sandboxes of my eyes.  
 
There is always more to night
than sleeping. I lie still, listening  
to the furnace breathing, something  
deeply distant clearing its throat  
in the driest corner of darkness.  
 
Jets on the concourse, engines
rumbling with discord circling  
the REM of sleep. Kachina glass  
rattling, a stampede of buffalo  
through the marrowed tunnel
of my bones, their hooves caked  
with corpuscles of memory;

the smell of splintered wood
pasture manure and smoldering  
leaves resisting a slow burn.  
 
When I was a little girl I knew  
there was more than sleep  
to believe in a new minute.
More than dreams to create  
a happiness monument.  
 
More than waiting on a burning  
ball of light to bleach the dark
curtains into long shadows
across morning concrete  
to be able to see the mountain
and begin all over again.  
 
As I aged I’d lie embracing  
the nocturnal until I became a Warrior.

Until I rose from the woven blanket
of safety and carved the skeletal  
blade. Until I scalped the hair  
from fear and smeared its blood  
across my face. Until I became  
a war party standing against  
a concealed army of disbelief.  

Until I danced around a spitting  
fire with singed hair and blistered  
feet defying the inky separation  
of waiting. Until my chant cracked  
the curtain rod of resolve above  
the treeline.

Until that eastern star, weary from failed
attempts at sleep rose across the water

before Me.  
~

Wow, thank you so much. Thank you ReggiePoet for hosting this competition (I really enjoyed being a part of it). Congratuations to  todski28 and Jade-Pandora for being runner ups. And to everyone else who participated, we all stepped into the arena.

Congratulations eswaller--the victory belongs to you!

Thank you to the runners-up todski28 and Jade-Pandora, and to all the rest of you who dared enter the arena!

First, to Reggie.  I can’t explain how the subject/ theme of this fine competition affected me when you posted it. My thanks for giving us in the arena the opportunity.

My thanks to all who voted for my being on the podium as a runner-up..,

To congratulate our sister Eswaller as trophy winner, and our brother Todsky as runner-up!

And oh, what a turnout by the others who participated in the arena... ALL to be congratulated!

🗡🛡🤚🏻