Like Ranger’s Oath and Garden Tended before it this is a poem well known in the fantasy world of Talarin. It is supposed to be a poem that teaches a lesson, taught to young people or shared when we are busy missing the forest for the trees.
Once there was a rube
A simple country man
He was low on wisdom
But could work most any land
A farmer from his birth
Master of his trade
His King did call to war
And then a warrior made
Low of birth and slow
His “betters” took their mirth
By barbs of words and cruelty
And questioning his worth
Never did he complain
Not once did he retort
He would just smile and nod
Then head back to his work
Tragedy befell his troop
And in their darkest hour
The rube saved all of them
But not with martial power
The enemy devised a trap
To lay the army low
Simple and yet devious
Death would come below
The general of the king
Was driven and quite smart
Tactics were his foray
He was a master of his art
Yet he was also prideful
Which portends a fall
The plan was just too simple
He couldn’t see it at all
The rube noticed the tactic
And spoke up right away
When the general saw the trap
The army won the day
After their enemies were bested
The general met with rube
And he asked him how he missed
A plan that was so crude
The rube thought for a moment
Stopped and rubbed his chin
Then spoke with his soft drawl
And surprised them once again
“Sometimes the best things in life
Are the simplest of them all
Others might not see them
Because they are too small”
“For men like you and them
High up in your towers
You might see all the sky
But you’ll miss all the flowers”
His words confused quite deeply
With a smile spread across his face
When they returned home
He was offered the King’s grace
The rube only took some land
And some animals to graze
He returned to his simple life
A farmer for the rest of days
He could have been a lord
With a manor and real power
The rube just smiled and stated
“But then I’d miss the flowers”
