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what brings you to this place, fair traveler
you met a man, a quiet smiling young man
with tired old eyes and uncombed hair
the weight of the world on his shoulders
look into his eyes, deeper now
see the great bulwarks, the high towers
witness the fortress of his soul
no clashing blades, no thundering hooves
the great knights have retired the field
what do you see, what do you feel
happiness and contentment, nay
here there is only emptiness and sorrow
this castle was built a few short years ago
the builder rests inside, tired from his work
but see the signs of age on the stones
chipped and shattered, worn and faded
they've seen a hundred battles and more
these walls have never been breached
tho all their defenders have vanished
see the scorch marks on the ground
the gates hang askew on rusted hinges
but the walls stand still, defying time and fate
battles have been waged upon this plain
blood has been spilled, lives have been lost
nobody knows how the builder fares
his bitter tears fall unseen, unsung
all the gardens have turned to weeds
no farmers till the fields around
come into the courtyard, see the fountain
smashed to splinters, laying all about
once it was the grandest in the land
for seven long years in this silent wilderness
a sculptor's knowing hands worked the stone
his masterpiece, a labor of light and life
he fled this place when the fighting started
but i hear that he still lives, in a distant land
far from the bloodshed, far from the tears
mind your step now, careful there
a young boy met his end in this forsaken room
alone and unarmed he had nowhere to hide
a war is no place for a tender reed
it's disconcerting here, dark and cold
even the bravest men avoid this place
they say the boy's spirit rests uneasily
silent as a tomb, most of the time
but on some lonely nights i hear a young voice
calling out for solace from a foe long dead
up these stairs and to the right you'll find
a lookout's post, also abandoned these days
a noble warrior spent his evenings there
his were the sharpest eyes in the land
when the enemy darkened the horizon
we all heard his clarion call of warning
til one day he met a foe he couldn't best
and his eyes and lips closed forever
his sword and shield hang on the wall
they're a bit dusty and the blade is bent
once i think i saw the builder here
tracing a finger along the old weapon
with tears glistening in his clouded eyes
the warrior was his father, friend, defender
there was a young girl, too, long ago
who made the builder's heart grow warmer
her eyes were full of fire and life
and her hair shimmered like spun gold
her smile lifted the sun in the sky
and her laughter made time stand still
now that she's gone the builder is alone
and decades pass between sunrise and dusk
it's a cold and lonely land, now nearly dead
without the life and love of its defenders
the fortress stands alone against the world
and the fires of hell cannot warm a lonely soul
Joel
Summer, 1999
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