Keto and the Falcon - A Story Never Written Part 2
John is a freelance writer, ghost-writer, storyteller, and poet. He always tries to include a message or social commentary in his writing
A Story Never Written
I really enjoyed writing The Story Never Written and was amazed by the positive response from readers. A number suggested that I should write a series around Keto, and develop his character further. I decided to take that advice and this is the result.
If you haven't already read Part One of "The Story Never Written" please click on the link and read it. I think this poem can stand alone, but you will get a better sense of the background if you read the other first.
Keto and the Falcon
Keto stood atop a cliff,
His breathing deep and slow
Sensing what he couldn't see,
The vast tundra below.
He moved his body slowly,
Muscles taut and hard.
His very own form of tai chi,
He called it keto bard.
The blind seer moved along the edge
No fear that he might fall,
His body appeared weightless,
And the danger very small.
Suddenly he makes a sound
No other man can hear.
A falcon leaves a nearby peak
And plummets like a spear.
Then Keto steps back from the ledge
And sits back against a boulder,
As the swiftest bird of prey swoops down
And lands upon his shoulder.
Sharp talons pierce his human flesh
But Keto flinches not.
His mind can disippate the pain
And make all bleeding stop.
He feeds the bird a scrap of meat
Left over from a meal,
Then man and bird climbed down the cliff
Navigating just by feel.
A warrior lay in a hut,
His chest pierced by a spear.
The barbed spear head had broken off,
And death was very near.
Keto pushed into the room
And knelt down by the bed.
He took the falcon off his arm
And felt the ill man's head.
A fever racked his body,
His skin was wet with sweat.
Eyes closed and in a coma,
His chest heaved with each breath.
Keto stroked the falcon
Then gripped the raptor's leg,
Thrust a talon into the wound
And removed the barbed spear head.
A mime, a seer, a healer,
A legend of his time,
Keto's name's remembered,
But only through this rhyme.
© 2017 John Hansen