Lemonade & The Lark

   I have a confession to make. In January, (in my post "An Ailing Imagination & Ghost Writing") I set a goal for myself to write 100 pages of the same story by May 2013. Well, I didn't. BUT! On Monday I did finish writing my first draft of the Thibault story, thanks to my class deadline. The three days before our short story was due, I worked furiously on it--I got a total of 11 hours of sleep.
   I turned it in 16 hours late, and it was 28 pages long, but my gracious classmates read it and even seemed to enjoy it. They were duly rewarded by cold lemonade (really good for a summer day like today), cinnamon crumb muffins, coconut macaroons, homemade Scotch tea things, and sweet early cantaloupe.

   I won't be posting the entire story here, but in the next few posts you can expect some juicy morsels like excerpts and maps. Today's treat is the full version of a poem that appears in the story.
Photo: courtesy of Rina

“The Lark”

Tinnin with the flaxen hair

Was called away to war

“The enemy's advancing and

We're running out of men.”

A lark, a lark, a yellow lark

Saw Tinnin's boyish tears

It beat its wings and sang a song

Of courage to his heart

So Tinnin left his lady fair

and fishnets at the door.

His only knife was in his hand—

He faced the lion's den.

A lark, a lark, a singing lark

Assuaged young Tinnin's fears

And though the fighting lasted long

He stayed to play his part

The battle raged, the trumpets blared

The captain was no more

None with heart to take a stand

Among six thousand men

A lark, a lark, a yellow lark

Saw Tinnin's soldiers' tears

It beat its wings and sang a song

Of strength into his heart

Tinnin with the flaxen hair

Eyes flashing like a boar's

Charged across the bloodied land

And rallied all the men

A lark, a lark, a yellow lark

Heard happy, thund'ring cheers

And from the forest sprang the song

Of vict'ry from the lark

Thibault: 28 pages
+ many more that didn't make
it to the rough draft