An Inglorious Purpose
Can a man choose his stars?
Arthur stares at the stone.
Basalt and black, unmoveable to all so far.
Could he really be the one?
Doubt courses through his veins; pulsing, pounding.
Even the great ones had failed.
Forcing his limbs to act, he raises his arm,
Guiding it closer to the precious
Hilt.
If he can do this, they will judge him worthy. Worthy of what?
Jewels dance before him, dazzling his eyes.
King? Him?
Looking down, he spies a solitary flower, broken at his feet.
Merlin merely stands by; watching, waiting.
No. Not his destiny.
Overhead, birds freely wheel, soaring the skies.
Pendragon. The burden of his father’s name, the expectation to
Quest alongside knights, to serve and ultimately lead the realm.
Rather he should be a bird.
Slowly, his fingers draw back,
Turning aside the promise of the crown.
Under another man’s hand may the people be.
Valiant and virtuous others will try in his stead, so
Where now shall he go?
Xenoblast twinkles from within the rugged rock, and he
Yearns for a horse; to steal away under starry night,
Zealously riding on the wind, unburdened.
About the Creator
Joe O’Connor
New Zealander living in London
Teacher of English and History, and sport-lover
Mostly short stories and poems📚
Feel free to be honest- one constructive comment beats a hundred generic ones
Currently writing James The Wonderer
Keep reading
More stories from Joe O’Connor and writers in Poets and other communities.
Shooting Guernica
The summer of my photography internship, studying at the Escuela Universitaria de Artes in Madrid, was a blur of soaring architecture, echoing galleries, dimly lit clubs, darkrooms, and dark-eyed Spanish artists. I was serious about learning my craft--especially with my parents' educational fund running out--but I also wanted to have fun.
By Sonia Heidi Unruh2 days ago in Fiction
Comments (16)
Congrats on Top Story!🥳
Delightful twist on The Once and Future King! Authur following his own stars rather than the ruinous ones plotted by Merlin. Great work! Congratulations on best story! Well deserved!
I love Aruthurian stories! Another smashing entry 👌
I really liked this and subscribed! A fresh rebirth of King Arthur:)
Great poem, I love the King Arthur theme. Thankyou for sharing xx
beautifully written and very sweet and lovely thoughts. Great .. Loved to read... (have a look at mine too.. https://vocal.media/poets/one-of-a-kind-fd32u0hcg).
An Arthurian reworking. I loved this! Not sure he'll escape his destiny though.
Great going! Keep up the fantastic effort—congratulations!
Beautiful work
Excellent control of the narrative and great use of a well-known myth!
Great topic to attempt this one. really enjoyed it. Congratulations
A wise decision, I think. Turning down power is so rare. I applaud your creativity in this challenge! This one might just be my favorite. So vivid.
That was great. Congrats on the TS.
Fantastic Arthurian abecedarian. Good look in the challenge
Wonderful work.I love me some good Arthurian legend twisting.
This was an unexpected pleasure. The story fits and The journey with your words was smooth and very enjoyable. I have a pretty decent vocabulary I would argue. But I am about to look up xenoblast....