Upon this frozen ground I stood

A NOTE: The thing I find funny about this one would only amuse English majors and misinterpreted writers, probably. I just wrote this piece about an abstract fantasy battle involving the defeat of a concept, but after looking back I realize there's just TONS of symbolism that's really unintentional. I'm sure a college professor would be quick to point it out... and they'd be wrong about the author's intent. Can't we ever just read something and not try to read into it?

Upon this frozen ground I stood And looked on you as long ‘s I would Between us neither came the good Striking steel upon the wood You sneer at me who holds the stick The other hand a candle wick You know I have no last card trick To save me from your steely prick But yet you wonder why I stand And do not run across the land My clothes all torn and crusted sand The weapon a stick held by left hand “So be it, you die, now fare thee well! Have you no utterance to tell?” Upon my body you try to smell Some fear, but there is not. Oh well. “Come, speak now, I demand you must Before you die upon this thrust Why would you fight this sword of lust Only to die upon the dust?” “Old enemy, friend I once held dear, Know this, while still your face will sneer You may yet quickly lose your leer When from this stick your death is near Your once sardonic face grows dark And angry sword does soon shoot spark Who was to tell, upon a lark, You’d fight a man whose name was Mark? Mark, come from Latin marcus, means A mighty warrior within sheens Whose strength comes from not red, but green Hides nature’s strength to be unseen.” So drawing sword you come by stride To bring both weapons to collide Most sorry am I to hurt your pride, But sword, not stick, does turn aside And so I thrust with wooden poke From faithful branch of mighty oak Against poor you, a sodden bloke Thine eyes roll back, and soon you croak Upon this frozen ground I stood, And looked on you as long ‘s I would Between us neither came the good Striking steel upon the wood Mark Burton Sunday, April 22, 2001 11:10 P.M.