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~ By Courtesy of Others ~

 

Guest at the Feast

Old man walking in a long blue coat
Hat slouched low in the shadow
Cool gaze taking in the gathered folk
And the firelight shining in the meadow

Picnic tables weighed down with food
Children in knots scamper by
Men and women laughing in joy
Beneath the strangers cold eye

“How are you called?” called a voice from the fire
“Guest” spoke a voice dry as dust
Laughing the old woman hailed him again,
“Come then and Guest then with us!”

Strange it seemed the garb that they wore,
Strange to see men sport with spears.
Women swirled past bright cloaked and bold eyed,
Both to his taste it appears

“What do you here?” rasped a voice cold as iron
“We honour the gods” her reply,
“Surely you jest” he crowed now surprised
As the challenge flashed bright in his eye.

A bearded man raised up his horn to the sky
“The Aesir” his shout to the sky
The old woman took up the horn as it passed
“The Vanir” her ringing reply

Laughing a honey blonde took up the horn
Necklace of gold light her breast
“The fallen!” her voice is a warm wanton purr
Her gaze boldly challenging Guest.

Grave eyed a boy came to Guest left hand
A sandwich he passed with a grin
A horn to his right hand was topped up passed
For a moment his gaze turned within

“Half a loaf you gave, and half a horn” he spoke
“Yet full friend found”
“To the host!” with a voice loud as thunder
One pull and the horn was downed

Offerings made by the bold fire light
Fellowship forged by the flame
Mead and memories shared by the folk
Kinsmen in all but the name

Firelight falls and Guest whispers low
In the ash he traces a sign
Soon Guest and the Honey blonde alone still awake
Their smiles in the twilight do shine

“Fare ye well” spoke Guest to the slumbering folk
To the North he strode cross the lawn
“Fair thee well” laughed the honey-gold maid
Dancing her way towards the dawn.

© John T Mainer   

This work by John T Mainer is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License.

The Freyr's Press of the Heathen Freehold Society of BC:
Kindertales and Kindertales 2 by John T Mainer et al.

Image: Sigurblót (Sacrifice for Victory) on the First Day of Summer 2009,
by members of the Icelandic Ásatrúarfélagið.
© Haukurth.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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