The Old Stories

In a podcast with Malcolm Guite ,
stirred something inside of me –
a world of knights and ancient kings,
of forests, faith and mystery.

Of Arthur and the Grail,
of stories worn smooth by time,
that somehow still have something
to say to yours and mine.

Not something we have lost,
not something we forgot,
but something lying quietly within us,
waiting to be got.

For the old tales carry embers
that still know how to burn,
and sometimes all it takes
is a voice to make us turn.

And now I’ve bought the book,
and I can hardly wait
to sit beside my six-year-old
and open up that gate.

To read him tales of Arthur,
of courage, love and grace,
and watch those ancient stories
light something in his face.

And somehow, listening to Guite
has made me want to fight –
to reach into those older worlds
and bring their fire to light.

To remember what was waiting,
Makes me want to write.

To recapture things we know –
and even smoke a pipe.