A Poem for the Reader

by Elaine Riley
(Lancashire, UK)

"What Makes Me Special?"

I set out on a quest, as did once Knights of old...
Yet the prize was not splendour, or power, or gold.
Still, my quest was important; I could not let it fail,
For the goal was my personal, ultimate Grail.

At the start of my venture, I wandered alone,
Feeling unloved, unwanted, unneeded, unknown.
I battled my demons and dragons for years
(Each fight with my parents, it ended in tears).
On my quest, I fought Giants, and Ogres fought me
(My dad, when he hit me, was bigger, you see).
I rallied with Witches, their curses and spells
(My mother would taunt me, with blame for her ills).
It was during my battles I felt most alone,
As though, with no-one to help me, my troubles had grown.
Was I ugly, or stupid, too fat or too thin?
Should I carry on trying, should I stop, and give in?
Could I ever be clever, would I ever feel good?
Might somebody love me... oh, try as I would,
I never felt wanted, I never felt free
From the taunts, from the torment... Oh, someone, help me...

I was years on my travels, when I met a young man
Who said, "Stay, let me help you. I'll do all I can".
Slowly and surely, I learned how to care,
I learned about trusting, about loving, and needing to share.
There were two to fight demons, and two to have fun,
Two still together when the fighting was done.
Over time, I met others, each on quests of their own.
So we slowly joined forces - no more questing alone!

Years later, and old lady asks, "What of your quest?"
"Did your search find an answer; did you put it to rest?"
I reflect for a moment on all I now know.
Though my quest is not ended, it has not far to go.
For I know in my answer that my quest did not fail
(For I am that lady, and I'm clutching my Grail)...
The answer, dear readers, is now plain to see...
"What makes me special?", the answer is "ME".

by: Elaine Riley, 2008.