The Wing & the Sword (Poem)

In the midst of her training
For agility and mental strength and forethought,
She must never forget that true victory
Is won before the battle starts.

She surveys her opponent
With eyes she must learn to sharpen —
A head in the clouds, they say,
Will soon meet the dew-kissed grass unattached.

In every way, she masks the redness of the heart in her chest.
And after she has won their precious game,
She prays she can still remember
The hue of her robin-winged soul.