Red Sonja- the poem

I Am Red Sonja
by: Brick Butler

I have rode out a warrior born,
gulping the dark air, fueling rage and might;
Vile dreams fill my mind's eye,
across the battlefield, ready to fight;
Courage is lonely inside my veins,
strong arm swings sword, until the break of light;
I Am Red Sonja.

Past cooling corpses I tread,
riddled with arrows, blood, steel;
Wayward souls drift to Valhalla,
no regrets, no shame, no final meal;
Mangled bodies surround cry out,
broken cuirass, cracked helm, dismembered limb;
Yet to my companions I go,
with whom to stand and defend;
I Am Red Sonja.

The dark horde driven back,
lines cut, waves fell agin our shield wall;
I behead your best captains,
around me, Hail Sonja!, the victory call;
Sheathing my lusty blade,
triumphant with clenched fist over head;
A warrior woman like this,
never afraid to be dead!
I Am Red Sonja.

[brickbutler]

i had to write a poem for Literature class, so i did one on ol' Red! I got a "C" on it, so apparently it had multiple problems and I guess the professor didnt like it, but I thought it was cool and wanted to share it with my fellow fans. Also- feel free to critique it if you guys want, or even suggest improvements. It won't help my grade, but it could be fun.

(and yes, i tried to slip in a tribute to ReH, with "warrior woman". yes i know the story was called sword woman but you guys get the idea)

[Guest]

Awesome Brick! I enjoyed that and If he did not like it, it was because he knew that he would be no match for Red Snoja!

[HdE]

Stirling effort, sir!

I'd not pay the grading any mind. Those educator types can be notoriously sniffy about subject material.

One of my ex's kids actually wrote a FASCINATING and very eloquently-worded essay on the problems that would be posed with governing humanity should it ever spread from Earth to colonise other planets. It was a thought-provoking read, and touched on some very pertinent real-world political issues.

However, because it referred regularly to the Star Wars novels the lad was reading at the time, the snooty cow of an English teacher he submitted it to bumped it down two solid grades below what it reasonably should have scored.

Words were had.


So - take heart! I for one salute your creative efforts. Your second verse is especially strong - lots of solid imagery there.

Keep at it. If you can't write about the stuff that engages you, then all hope is lost.

[Guest]

Those who can do, those who can't teach

Brick, I like it.

When I was a freshmen in college, my writing teacher hated everything I wrote because it was all fantasy or sci-fi.

He asked me what my favorite book was and at the time it was 1984. His answer "1984 was wrong, 1984 happened and nothing the book said came true." He was a fucking idiot.

Point is - if he knew how to write, he would write for a living - there is only so much you can learn from a failed writer - syntax and grammar mostly.

My real writing teacher was Stan Lee - and basically he told me to focus on character and make it fun and novel - remember you are writing for an audience.

Just keep practicing and be your own most brutal critic. Now, I have to write some boring practice essays for the Cali bar. (test is next Tues)

- Luke