Blacksmith Remembers

[chrish]

Lucas popped his head round the door,
Cheeky grin, he’d been here before,
Pushing a pram with squeak in the wheel,
One handle broken, paint all a’peel.

Blacksmith looked up and waved him inside,
Seeing the pram with no little pride,
‘Hello lad’ he said with a smile,
‘Sit yourself down, sit for a while.’

‘Mum says please, please can you repair,
The pram, it’s needed, in some need of care’,
The Blacksmith smiled, happy to think,
Another child, gave Lucas a wink.

‘I remember before, before you were born,
This old pram was tattered and torn,
On the day that you finally chose to appear,
I gave it to those I love very dear.’

As they sat, tea all a’steam,
Blacksmith recounted as if in a dream,
The story of the birth of the lad,
A birth that made so many glad.

‘We knew your birth was special, we knew,
Not just some, not just a few,
All of the village could see the event,
We all think that you surely were sent.’

‘So, your dad arrived all of a’flutter,
Full of nerves and all of a’stutter,
He wanted to borrow the pony for sure,
To get the healer back to his door.’

‘Because mum was in labour, moaning a lot,
You on the way, he felt in a spot,
Instead I sent him back to your mum,
And asked dear Owl, the healer must come.’

‘Well out owl flew, fast as he could,
Over the village and past the old wood,
To healer’s house, to tell of the tale,
Her help was needed, her skills to avail.’

‘When owl got there he asked her to hurry,
She gathered her bag, told owl not to worry,
And set off to help with impending birth,
One of her roles on this beautiful earth.’

‘Well owl flew back to relay the word,
That healer was coming, great little bird,
Then he and his family all took to the air,
Wanting to see the new child most fair.’

‘I got ready, pram as a gift,
When Samson and Jade, well, offered a lift,
Refusing to be left out of the day,
They both insisted they just could not stay.’

‘So off we set to check all was well,
And met dear Freda, no need to tell,
She already knew, already set out,
She knows a lot, of that there’s no doubt.’

‘Our happy band, excited all four,
Met the healer at the front door,
In she went to see to your mum,
While we all waited out in the sun.’

‘The ghost was excited and told us some tales,
Some very sad, and yet life prevails,
And now he loves your family most dear,
He was really happy that you would appear.’

‘Pretty soon there assembled a crowd,
Hushed, expectant, whispering loud,
Finally, finally, you safely born,
Marvellous end to an expectant morn.’

‘When healer said yes we entered the room,
Tiny red baby fresh from the womb,
How happy we were, all struck dumb,
There you were, sucking a thumb.’

‘A noise at the window, two faces were there,
Jade and Samson, taking great care,
If felt like a scene from nativity play,
A very special, a special birthday.’

The smith cleared his throat, was clearly moved,
The lad simply sat, and fully approved,
Two great companions passing the time,
Two good friends doing just fine.

‘Well I gave the pram, all clean and oiled,
Freda a pillow on which she had toiled,
Covered in stitch and full of dried flowers,
To help to keep baby sleeping for hours.’

‘But best of all a voice was then heard,
The ghost was clearly emotionally stirred,
Reminders of days when he had the same,
In his voice you could still hear the pain.’

‘He told us all to find a small gift,
Hidden right under a board needing lift,
There was a photo from long, long ago,
His family he chose to us all to show.’

‘A row of owls sat on a sill,
All of them feeling the wonderful thrill,
‘Who?’ they asked, expecting a name,
Clicking their beaks as if in a game.’

Now Blacksmith paused, more tea for the pair,
Resting his hand on pram with great care,
‘When we emerged with smile on our face,
The crowd all cheered, a loving embrace.’

‘Well Samson and Jade wanted to stay,
They had enjoyed the wonderful day,
But you all needed some bonding and quiet,
Not crowds outside, loud like a riot.’

‘So we all came home, feeling great joy,
At your birth, our new, little boy,
And here you are, with pram needing mend,
Another birth soon to impend.’

Well Lucas looked up with clear shining eyes,
Unwilling to leave, refusing to rise,
Wanting for more, for more there must be,
The very next chapter in family three.

‘As you grew we all saw the truth,
From your first smile, and to your first tooth,
You carry something special inside,
But quite what it is, time will decide.’

Then Lucas did a very strange thing,
He made a noise, a sort of a sing,
With a grin on his face he held out his hand,
And in flew some owls, all trying to land.

Samson and Jade complained in their stall,
Wanting to answer Lucas’ call,
A mouse appeared ‘tween Blacksmith’s feet,
And a cat sauntered in with disdainful greet.

‘There you go, I knew you would find,
The special place that’s there in your mind’
With that the blacksmith rose to full height,
Repair the pram back to wonderful sight.

Now Blacksmith turned, a tear in his eye,
Not wanting to let the boy see him cry,
The colour of paint he already knew,
Pink it was for baby soon due.

[QuietAstronomer]

Very entertaining and colorful, chris.
Enjoyed this tale immensely.
Thanks for sharing.

QA

[Chelle]

Lovely story within a story so to speak. The ghost's reappearance is interesting. Seems to have calmed down a bit.

[chrish]

Thanks for the comments - yes, ghosts lose their anger if treated with love - lol.
chris

[Jahaliel]

A lovely tale of reminiscence - I could visualise this very well.

[clinical3ace]

This is a complex, and entertaining poem. Nicely written.