reticence | The Ballad of Sir Lancelot

There was a dog named Lady Brave
Adoring, tried, and true.
A tribute to her name she was --
Devout companion too.

A gift she was, one fateful day,
A booning from the queen,
Presented to her favorite knight
Our Lady Brave had been.

Yet listen, friend, I shan't go on,
This song I'm sure you've heard,
But to a diff'rent ditty pray
You hearken to my word.

For yet there is a tale to share --
A wrong that I must right --
The story not of Lady Brave
But of her Shining Knight.

The Seelie Marshall to the court
And Lancelot to friends,
A brave and kindly man was he,
With all the best intents.

He served the court with all he had
And uttered no complaint
When ne'er were thanks or credit paid --
You'd think he were a saint.

But no, dear friend, he was a man,
A man who had a heart
And one perhaps too good and kind
To speak up for his part.

A man for whom the Marshall's post
He truly did not suit,
But still he feared that should he quit
An evil would take root.

Thus for the court he did his job,
Though he be much chagrined,
And day by day it wore him down --
His shining light was dimmed.

Dear Lancelot, you see, forgot,
Somewhere along the way,
That to good men still praise is owed
And thanks should still be paid.

Though he by title Marshall was
He need not ever be
Naught but the man he is himself
Not what they want to see.

For men feel fear and joy and love
And pain so full and deep,
They need the feel of gentle arms
To hold them while they weep.

And that's all right, to need these things,
It should not cause you strife,
For though these things may hurt at times,
They mean you are alive.

But don't you fear, not for our knight,
Though struggle still he may
He'll be just fine with tender care
From friends along the way.

For though some nights seem dark and cold,
And though some days seem bleak,
You need not weather them alone --
It's all right to feel weak.

You need not fret what others think,
Nor what the next day holds
Stay true to who you are, my friend,
For what's within is surely more precious than gold.