Out of a STONE … a SWORD
(a word ladder poem)They say, when King Pendragon died
with no true heir identified,
the wizard Merlin made it known
he'd sheathed a blade within a stone.
And by this magic feat he'd sown
a competition for the throne:
The future king—and he alone—
could pluck the sword from where it shone.
Brave knights and barons tried their best,
but none succeeded in the quest.
The sword held fast; folks readied for war,
and chaos spread from shore to shore.
But meanwhile, far from everyone,
the wizard trained Pendragon's son—
imparting wisdom, strength, and more.
At last: "He's ready!" Merlin swore.
Young Arthur wasn't very brawny;
his arms and legs were rather scrawny.
But after years of being ignored,
with one strong wrench, he drew the sword.
with no true heir identified,
the wizard Merlin made it known
he'd sheathed a blade within a stone.
And by this magic feat he'd sown
a competition for the throne:
The future king—and he alone—
could pluck the sword from where it shone.
Brave knights and barons tried their best,
but none succeeded in the quest.
The sword held fast; folks readied for war,
and chaos spread from shore to shore.
But meanwhile, far from everyone,
the wizard trained Pendragon's son—
imparting wisdom, strength, and more.
At last: "He's ready!" Merlin swore.
Young Arthur wasn't very brawny;
his arms and legs were rather scrawny.
But after years of being ignored,
with one strong wrench, he drew the sword.
This poem is copyright (©) Christy Mihaly 2024
About the Writer
Christy Mihaly
Christy writes poems and books, mostly for young people. Her poems have been published in magazines and anthologies including Highlights and The Bee Is Not Afraid of Me (Emma Press). She particularly loves nonfiction and has written more than thirty books, both rhyming and not. Her recent picture books include Patience, Patches!; Barefoot Books Water: A Deep Dive of Discovery; and Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them). Christy lives in Vermont, where she writes overlooking hayfields, forests and mountains.
