“
The Rights and Rungs of Esteem
by Stewart Stafford
Shall I tell you of a man I once called friend?
In retrospect, it amazes me that I did,
He was uniquely his own flawed self,
To my perplexity, I sometimes miss him.
His reflection always gave him pause,
Incessantly fanning the flames of flattery.
His plotting would run Machiavelli ragged,
Yet always served those he answered to.
I once saw him trip a commoner beneath
a passing horse without breaking stride.
He recalled it fondly in jest with a
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”
―
―
“
From sea's wide spring || out flows the tide:
It advances, retreats, || it smashes, crushes.
The lament for Cú Roí || has distressed me;
The cold silencing, of a hard man || full of passion:
I've seldom heard || of greater misfortune.
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”
― The Book of Taliesin: Poems of Warfare and Praise in an Enchanted Britain
― The Book of Taliesin: Poems of Warfare and Praise in an Enchanted Britain
