Blacksmith's Prayer

My fire extinct
My forge decayed
By the side of my bench
My old vice is laid
My anvil and hammer
Lie gathering dust
My powerful bellows
Have lost their thrust
Hearts now cased in steel
To a blacksmith’s prayer I will kneel
Those burning sparks
They scorched the dirt
They lit the sky
And fell to the earth
I smelt and forged
Fused and bent
I dug the core
Now my years are spent
Hearts now cased in steel
To a blacksmith’s prayer I will kneel
Salt, sweat and steam
It came trickling down
My labour’s love
Now rest in the ground
Sharp nails and chained
Spike, rings and blades
They all reside
In a world handmade
Hearts now cased in steel
To a blacksmith’s prayer I will kneel
So hard it was to rest it on the ground
So hard it was to sleep without a sound
So hard without the smoke
Those fingers around my throat
So hard it was to lay my body down
So hard without the smoke
Those fingers around my throat
So hard it was to lay my body down
My fire extinct
My forge decayed
By the side of my bed
These words are laid
Burnt brittle hands
Lie gathering dust
My pounding soul has lost its thrust
Hearts now cased in steel
To a blacksmith’s prayer I will kneel