Highlander: Rimes for Immortals in Iambic Pentameter
for Duncan:
Who Wants to Live Forever
(a Petrarchan Sonnet)
He prowls the years, stark justice in his eyes,
This self-appointed champion of the weak,
For though it's said the world goes to the meek
He's set his sights upon a higher Prize.
"There can be only one," his battle cry
When evil-bent Immortals cross his path.
With clash of steel they're made to face his wrath
And lightning rips the skies when loosed heads fly.
But friend or foe, he'll outlive one and all--
A Gilgamesh condemned to span the years;
Immortal friendships he can ill afford.
For in the end, they'll fight and one must fall.
The Gathering's impervious to tears:
Who wants to live forever wields a sword.
***
for Amanda:
Thief of Hearts
(a Terza Rima)
What bastion is proof against her skill--
What vault, what gate, what strong hold can prevail
When light-fingered Amanda bends her will?
With just a glance--but what a glance!--those eyes,
Half-hidden depths her curtained lashes veil;
Beguiling some night watchman from his post
So she can liberate him of his keys?
And many rich and hopeful man's played host
To this enchanting thief (to his dismay!)
To find she's pilfered what he treasured most.
Museums are not safe from her assault
If they flaunt tempting baubles on display.
The wall was not erected she can't vault
Should circumstances dictate urgency;
She's find a way, persistent to a fault.
The treasures of a dozen centuries
Have drawn Amanda with their flash and fire;
She goes where e'er she likes; takes what she please.
The thief of hearts steals all her heart's desire--
So catch her if you can, she's quite a tease!
***
for Methos:
Reflections in a Glass
(a Shakespearean Sonnet)
I stood on Santorini just at duskAnd watched the color drain into the sea;
It took me back to Thera....Now this husk
Of land is all that's left of memory.
I saddled up a roan and rode her out
To gallop o'er the hillsides drenched in sun...
But once I raced across the steppes to flout
My power over life and death--for fun.
Cuneiform and hieroglyphs were new
When I carved my graffiti on a span;
Now every bridge abutment sports the view
Of any city sage who sprays a can.
Thinking back-- I'd have to say the tops
Would be the day I cultivated hops.
On Guard, You Fool
(a Shakespearean Sonnet)
He's cocky, brash, a tabby alley cat
With lives enough for curiosity.
He'll travel far on brains and charm and chat
(Though further yet than even he can see).
His hard, protective shell of impudence
May rub you wrong, but crack it and you'll find
He's loyal to a fault without pretense;
A friend for all time, passionate and kind.
He doesn't always do as he is told--
It's not the way a street kid looks at life--
But in a pinch he'll come through good as gold,
No stranger to the winds of storm and strife.
In tux and tie or racing colors gay:
On guard, you fool--he'll wink your heart away.
