Little Knight

Martin Hooijmans | Lars de Ruyter

A little knight, so brave and true
Woke up one day, something to do
Out of cardboard he forged a mighty shield
A breastplate, a helmet, a sword to wield
All he needed to do much good
In his monster-ridden neighborhood

A mighty roar rang in his ear
He went outside to see
And there he conquered all his fear
Of the creature that ran free
With gnarling teeth and flattened nose
And big black staring eyes
The monster at the sight of his foe
Rose to his bulking size

“Woof woof woof,” he blurted out
A challenge to behold
The boy acknowledged it at once
His blood was running cold
“Come then, beast, if you dare!”
The knight shouted out
His shield was raised, his sword clasped tight
He was ready for the joust

The monster came at him at once
Tongue swinging around
And in one big gulp he took the shield
Then chewed with heavy sound
The boy was not so easily defeated
He raised his sword up high
“I will not yield!” he yelled with courage
Then struck with all his might

The strike did nothing to hurt the beast
His armor was too thick
He pushed the boy to the ground
And then began to lick
“What on earth is going on here?”
Came a voice with heavy air
The monster fled away at once
Disappearing in his lair

The boy scrambled to his feet
And saw the heavy beard
His dad stood right in front of him
There was nothing to be feared
A smile broke out on father’s face
His savior, his hero, his wall
And it dawned on the boy that this man was
The greatest knight of all