Ballad of the Straw Knight by Yon Unnamed Stable-Boy, Who Didst Pine in Silence

I wrote this medieval ballad for a themed call for submissions to Ballads of Medieval Devotion by Ruchi Acharya (Author, Editor). As far as I know, while the collection is now available for purchase, there isn’t an online version so I’m publishing my piece here for all of my “fans.”

Ballad of the Straw Knight

by Yon Unnamed Stable-Boy, Who Didst Pine in Silence

O gather ye round and mark mine song,
Of a straw-stuffed knight I’ve loved full long.
His jaw be straw, his gaze askew,
But no heart beateth half so true.

He standeth tall by training field,
Unmoving aye, but never yield.
Whilst others fled or mocked my name,
Sir Dummy held his stance the same.

By day I mucked, by dusk I trained,
Through rain and mud, through knees near sprained.
He watched me swing, he bore the blows,
A truer friend no stable knows.

The squires laughed and outgrew dreams,
Took horses, titles, velvet seams.
But thou, O oak with padded brow,
Didst never flinch nor leave me now.

Thou spokest not, nor ever stirred,
Yet in thine hush I heard each word.
No cruel rebuff, no lover’s slight,
Just steadfast spine and shoulders right.

Aye, thou art naught but nails and rope,
No lips to smile, no hands to hope.
Yet in thy stillness I found grace,
A soul-shaped void, a resting place.

I know thou wilt not turn to me,
Nor ride, nor speak, nor ever see.
But when the world grew harsh and dim,
I stood by thee—and thou by him.