In a Village

There was once three laymen, one was a joker, another a thief, and a soldier.
The thief had faith, the joker had logic, and the soldier had at times both and at times neither.
One day, the joker ran into the thief, and the thief wasn't having a great day.
"Might I enquire what troubles thee?" Queried the joker.
"Too much confusion, and I cannot get no relief," returned the thief.
"I can't get anything done, my friends never care to see me these days,
the tax collector fails to assess my idiosyncrasies, doesn't care for what I seeketh."
"Ah, my friend, thou must have faith, the tax collector only does what he needs to receive pay.
Your friends fail to give thee company, for they themselves face deals of their own.
Perhaps thou fails to complete such, for ye hath not found ye a home."

"Business take my wine, plowmen dig my earth," added the thief in icy voice.
"I have faith that the Lord will accompany me all the way, to the bitter end.
I have faith that He shall soon see what my actions will end to."
"My dearest friend, thou shall soonest seeth, that thy actions thee take, by choice
shall cause thy own demise, and if thee should seek counsel, find me again.
Find me, I shall accompany thee thick-and-thin, in-and-through.
I have logic, and I intend to do with it as thy natural mind insists."
For the next several days ahead, the thief refrained from his usual visits
to the soldier, his most understanding friend, who has helped him see through all previous mists.
Also he did dare not enter a brothel or a bar, for fear of drinking much and raging with his fists.

The soldier was stationed at the local watchtower, he was ordered to set watch there,
for the lord of the land felt weary of some new laymen in the village within the walls.
The soldier was not yet of age to have felt a woman's warmth, but the lord had no care.
If the soldier did see armed chariots of horsemen or men accompanied with some asses, to call
to the centurions to send for the lord to welcome them, or to disband them, or eliminate.
For forty nights and for forty days, the soldier did so patiently and contently wait.
But on the forty-first dawn, what he saw up over the last hill before the fort
would forever change the fortunes of all, what he saw changed history.
From then on, there should never be the same warm love, or such homely comfort.
What the soldier did see was what he shall tell his children and grandchildren, his story.

The thief walked many a time by the walls with holding the village inside.
His thoughts were dense, filled with anger and things, but above it all, they were filled with desire.
Long ago, across the seas, an ancient mariner learned of truths that opened all minds wide.
Alas! The thief had not but so few of these truths within his mind, for his mind was often consumed by fire.
As once he walked upon the borrow downs, he spied a damsel across the field.
He loved her that very instant, and knew she loved him more dearly than he.
"What brings you hither," she queried. "I am hither for a small reason."
"Why dost though chose thee over all other maidens so fairer than me?"
"For you are fairest amongst them all. I would take you as my love for all seasons
if only you would have me the same." "O! Thou is me dearest, what a happy chance you happened upon this field."

Many nights hence, the joker was at a gathering with the town nobles when the night was high.
At the hour when all but the most drunken were in deep slumber, the joker chanced
upon the sight of the saint, with a coat of solid gold. The joker knew all would think it a lie,
and the drunkards shant remember spying him on this dreadful night, only dream enhanced.
Thus when the Sun arose, and whence the Moon sunk below, the birds commenced to sing of the morn.
The ones who deeply slumbered stirred and awoke, and the joker who did spy his eyes upon the saint,
saw that the saint was there upon the floor. The joker looked to him, not asleep, dead.
His face was such a quiet thing. His eyes were closed, and his complexion was quaint.
The joker awoke nights since with a shriek, and his mind filled with guilt, and cried with tears of dread.
Around high noon that day, the joker met again with the thief, and was met with a look of such scorn.

"A drifter has appeared at the gates of the garden, the guards took him away.
A trial has been set for the next hour on the half of it, we should avoid it."
They did, and as the two set out for the river across the town. They arrived soon after midday.
A hard rain was coming down over the village, and it seemed to the two, it was good to hide a bit.
Lighting struck the courthouse, and put it out of shape, and soon the drifter did escape.
By early evening that night, they gathered back at the thief's homely abode.
He asked the joker for some money, he quickly pulled out some tens.
"Take your pick, your gain shall be my loss," to the thief the joker had told.
"While you busy yourself, I'll be across the road, eternity, meeting some women."
Down the road, the women were as beautiful as the eternal, had such a Goddess-like shape.

The landlord of the thief came knocking upon the door, asking for the rent.
"My burden is heavy, I can't control my dreams, you have your troubles, but here you're not so unique."
The landlord replied, "I come to give you a choice, pay me, or leave and later repent."
The thief sat back down, feeling low and mean, when a stranger burst upon the seen, looking quite chic,
telling him of a fellow down the road, the joker. Well the thief did go to him,
and did see that he was in paradise, a place loved by the lay, scorned by the wise.
The windows did number four and twenty windows, with a pretty woman's face in every one.
The thief did enter, but for two weeks and two days, he tried, but could not delay his demise.
What happened hence forth, was not pondered, but accepted as the Lord's Will been done.
The enemies of the state did soon take the hint and began to make hem.

One day, on some overcast morn, arrived a messenger so wicked; from Eli he did depart.
Down on the cove, upon the damsel's doorstep was a creature void of form.
The messenger carried with him only a deck of cards, missing the ace and the Jack of Hearts.
The damsel looked the creature in the eye, "Come inside," she said, "I can give ya shelter from the storm."
What the soldier did see on the crest of the hill, were two horsemen. In the distance, the wind began to howl.
All along the cove, all up and down the watchtower, the watchmen did call for the lord by the guards.
The messenger came unto the lord of the place, holding an Ace of Spades, and said unto the man:
"Go, take in the women and the barefoot servants, the children too. What shall soon befall ye, shall be felt hard,
but nay! Ye have faith! Babylon is fallen! Is fallen. War is soon to arrive on the doorstep of your lands."
The nymphs left the seas as the waves gathered, and the angels left the dungeons when the walls began to fall in the bowels.

Soon the skies began to fall and the stars fell into our arms;
the trees did dry and so soon the seas began to part.