"The Tale of Lizard Knight" by Kiume

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<--Kiume's Poetic Spasm

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I wish to bring light to a tale of a knight
Whose journey is told far away to the west.
Though some who did hear say ‘twas not but for beer,
Take heart, for I saw him away on his quest.

This story begins in the grandest of inns
Named after a man or some large feral cat--
No wait, I recall! Twas The Old Golden Hall!
But now as I think, you don’t need to know that…

The only thing needed for story completed,
The hero, who walks through the old crooked door.
In bright silver mail with a hole for his tail,
The lizard knight rose not a foot from the floor

The beer-drinking crowd started laughing aloud
And knocking their mugs of cold beer to the ground
The lizard man stood on the old gnarly wood
Until, as time passed, the room quieted down.

Alone on a table the lizard was able
To finally drink of some brew of his own,
But during the morn, like an ominous storm,
The day turned to night, but just how was not known.

The men of the bar were consumed with alarm
And ran to the door, not believing their eyes.
Some went to their houses to check on their spouses,
But many were lost as they stared at the skies.

“A sorcerer’s curse, or perhaps even worse!”
The bartender shouted and cradled his head.
Astir with the fears they had not felt in years,
The villagers wondered if soon they’d be dead.

As calm as a saint in the dark morning taint,
The lizard knight called for the ears of the men.
“Let’s say that I go and then vanquish this foe,
To what kind of hail would I come back to then?”

Once more the men laughed, to hear something so daft,
But still they obliged the small knight with the test.
“If you should return, and make sun again burn,
A hero you’ll be throughout all of the west.

So as this tale goes the small lizard knight rose
And leapt on the back of his tiny white steed.
A parade in the dark watched the knight disembark
Though many would wonder, how filled was their need?

Beyond the faint light of the town shining bright,
The road of the hero led into the woods.
Both eerie and black, the knight longed to turn back,
He worried of monsters and villainous hoods.

In depths beyond sight, buried deep in the night,
A rustling came as the telling of doom.
The eyes of some brood that were watching some food
That stupidly wandered right into the gloom.

Then clearing his throat, the brave lizard knight spoke,
“If troubles decide to leap out from a tree,
I swear by my sword to that festering horde
That you will regret ever troubling me.”

Without more delay, and now blocking the way,
An army of rats from the forest released.
“If troubles you sought, then its troubles you’ve got
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good feast!”

The rats came at pace in a clambering race,
Foreboding and hissing in whirling wrath,
But lizard knight held and the rats were all felled,
Their bodies lay scattered behind on the path.

Attending a scratch that he managed to catch,
The lizard and steed left the dark wood behind,
But roads such as these do not easily cease.
Another slight peril the lizard would find.

Upon a small bridge that led up to a ridge,
A hobgoblin stood with a club on his arm.
The lizard knight stopped and his tiny mouth dropped,
As this time he feared he would not escape harm.

How far he had come, to be turned by this scum!
“If only I’d pry for a way to get through!”
Though dumb as they are, they can easily mar
A lizard so small and his stallion too.
The pony then stepped where the goblin was kept,
On top of the bridge over yawning crevasse.
The goblin looked out at the lizard in doubt.
What being would dare try to tread through his pass?

“Now ‘old it right dere, if you heed my beware,
For I am a goblin and dis is my bridge,
So bugger on home now, you freaky green gnome
Don’t tink I’ll be movin’, not even a smidge.”

Such words only hasten desire to chasten
A big foolish oaf with his mighty great mace.
Then plan did emerge of how lizard could purge
That arrogant smile from his wart-covered face.

While drawing his blade, the small warrior belayed
The reigns in his fist and adjusted his seat.
Then charging ahead where the goblin’s legs spread
The lizard knight galloped past leathery feet.

The goblin was shocked he had not the way blocked
As lizard knight passed through his bow-legged knees
Saluting the bloke, lizard leapt with a poke
For all that was said, in ironic reprise.

Caught up in his pain, the poor goblin was slain,
Not fit to pursue or to even sit down.
The lizard turned back to his perilous track
And saw a great steeple enveloped in cloud.

This thing was a tower that glowed with a power.
The lizard knight wondered just what he had found.
From windows up high darkness spread through the sky,
Backed up by a creaking metallic-like sound.

The lizard knight’s fate led him up to the gate
Where evil and darkness had seemingly swelled.
Now fearing no creatures with dark creepy features,
The lizard’s right cause had him feeling compelled.

So up the tall stair that rose into the air,
The lizard knight climbed to an old musty room
Where gadgets and cogs were all churning up fogs
Of some kind of soot or a dark filthy fume

Amidst the confusion, a twisted illusion,
A man of great stature came forth from the haze.
His long pearly beard was kept perfectly sheared
And fire leapt forth in his wrinkly gaze.

“I come to put end to this darkness, my friend,”
The lizard spoke gently in finest of tone,
“A wizard I seek in this tower so bleak.
If sorcerer hears me then make himself known!”

“But I am the wizard, you small stupid lizard!
And now I will carve up your sleek scaly hide
I heard of your quest and I thought it but jest,
But now I can see you are wanting to die!

“The power I’m wielding is great and unyielding,
So much so that you cannot hope to allay.
Tis I who made night out of bright morning light
And no one will turn my cold darkness away!”

The wizard turned fright’ning, erupting with lightning,
Preparing to strike like a violent gale,
But as he let loose the knight fled his abuse,
A creature so small is quite hard to assail.

As lizard knight hid, he had noticed a lid
Amongst the calamity strewn in the dorm
That opened its mouth so to spew the fog out,
Returning again to its previous form.

The lizard knight knew that by closing this flue
The darkness would trouble the people no more.
So out from the shade he lunged forth with his blade
And pierced the tip through the round, brass-colored door.

The wizard had seen the bright silvery sheen
From sword that now pierced his mechanic obsession.
He cried out “You fool! You must take back your tool!
Or else this whole tower will come to regression!”

As soon as the wizard had scolded the lizard,
The hinges had burst sending steam all around.
The walls began cracking with metal things clacking,
The tower was falling all over the ground.

In raining debris like the leaves from a tree,
The sorcerer fell with his evil contraption.
The cloudy reign done, the welcoming sun
Shined full and as bright as it had at conception.

The town was elated and all celebrated
The passing of night and returning of day.
They lined in the street very anxious to meet
Their hero and savior, who took up the fray.

But ev’ning soon came and the road was the same,
Empty and barren, no hero was there.
The people were dreary, their hearts feeling weary,
It seemed as though lizard knight did not well fare.

While drinking your ale you may hear of this tale
Of warrior who fell in a great, daring fight
Though most of it’s true, there’s one part that’s askew
For lizard and steed had survived that dark night.

Most folks don’t believe and continue to grieve.
Such fools, the whole lot, who cannot comprehend
That heroes may fall in as violent a brawl,
But legends like lizard knight never will end.

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<--Kiume's Poetic Spasm

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