BALLAD Poem: Crécy, by Ray Umber

Maiden battles are an easy conquest
Or so they jest,
I’ve never been with a woman.

But it’s alright,
The mail is light,
And ambition burns bright.

As the sun entered its full luster,
The Frenchmen began their cluster,
a swarm surrounding their queen.

I watched them charge the hills,
have they forgotten our emblematic tales
that I am the prince of Wales?

“Hail, bring hail upon them.
Feed the earth with songs of love.
Hail, bring hail upon them.
Drink these Welsh arrows sent from above!”

For the Black Prince wages war.

The sky reflected the blood let,
faux chivalry bred contempt, yet
the knights betray their own.

The slaughter of one’s own weak,
what sort of lords do you seek
to be?

Good King John weeps
with his hollow eyes, he leaps
to bring clarity.

The sky now melds with earth and sun.

But the sun does not deny a sightless man,
so the Blind King, knowing his role,
rode as fate unrolled her scroll,

The sightless sovereign swung his sword.
one by one, killed my men.
one by one, massacred my friends.

“Father, father help me!
Father, oh why must you abandon me!”

But across the Norman field,
the first king of the Seas revealed
his edict unto me.

with a stare of his eyes,
I hear what they imply.
“Learn.”

He was right.
Cowardice, what blights
must be quashed.

“Nobles, rally to me!
Let us teach a blind man how to flee!
Charge! Charge! Cha—”

Who knew that a fall
could conjure an inertial stall.
All I saw, frozen stares.

Friends are like garters though,
tightly sewn.

Richard abandoned his standard,
gave into his carnal prowess.
Even the gouged felt his malice.

Arundel’s earl,
sensed the peril,
gathered the Garter’s men,

swung the knights
in the way of the emerging night,
maiming the Bohemian charge.

As the heirs of Luxembourg fled,
Their king, blessed he, charged ahead,
broke our line with such ease

and found the upstart boy,
but he could not see
the pride of Wales filled with glee.
“Hail, bring hail upon him!”

Arrows crucified a king to the wind.
“Hail, bring hail upon him!”
His loyal steed turned; he was crushed and pinned.

at last, the Bohemians ran.
The sun had set.
the crows came to collect.

The Good King, dying,
motioned for the good prince, smiling.
“I hold no grudge; but do remember me little one”

Edward understood what he meant,
this battle was well spent,
the king could rest peacefully.

He will be immortal.

“Here lies King John,
God forbid that he ever flee,
and so he met his end at Crécy”

“I will don your words unto my crest.
‘I serve’ your memory.
May you shine for eternity.”

And so the fields of Crécy now slept.