The War-Forge

David Ehrenman

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The sword awakes in heat — the homely fire
Couches the steel’s       serene collapse. 

With cleverness     the craftsman worn

Cares for the magma  molting as he

Masterfully creates     the cocoon.

Floating just below    the flaring surface,

Bloody roses    ripple still

In folding layers   of liquefaction. 

Tough the boy,   though yet untested,

Who grasps the hilt    and gazes on the blade.

Mesmerized by    prospects of memorial,

The boy permits himself       to hum softly

And place his name   in stead of heroes’ 

Songs of daring     and desperate times.

Good God forbid,   declares the gallant youth,

But if, perchance,     a peril comes to me,

I’ll cry the battle-wail           and carry this to war.

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David’s notes: “This poem first appeared in Issue 46 of The Mythic Circle.“​​​​​

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David Ehrenman is an Australian–American poet and educator based in Minnesota. His work appears in Poems for Persons of Interest, The Journal of Undiscovered Poets, Ekstasis Magazine, and The Mythic Circle, as well as his Substack, Life in Circles.

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