A GENTLE KNIGHT

Sir Edmund Spenser dreampt of knights in arms
   Of ladies in distress and monsters vile,
   Of sorcerers who conjured potent charms
   Unwary wights to capture and beguile;
   For every Christian soul must stand the trial
   Of evil and seek out salvation’s way,
   Defeating forces that would him defile
   And proving by his victory more than clay
But spirit, shining bright with virtue’s glorious ray.

*