A Forest Trip with Robin Goodfellow (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo

[Author’s Note: Robin Goodfellow is one of my favorite characters in fiction. He just has so much lore and history behind him, and oftentimes good-natured wit.]

When in want of an ancient companion

  deep in the forests among

     the ash

        and oak

           and thorn

Perhaps Robin Goodfellow would suffice

   that mischievous fellow

      (also known as Puck)

     with his merry

         will-of-the-wisp band

They dance around his fingertips

  in little curls of flame

   while their hobgoblin conjuror

      observes them in great glee

His master Oberon might capture

  those found in the woods after dark

    with bony branches that ensnare

      or with pixies and others of his court

        sent to lead the unwary astray

Yet those same souls could find solace

  in the merry jests of Old Robin

    as he guides them around

       all the hidden traps of the woods

         especially if that are the kind

            tolerant of a good-natured

                 prank or two   

Robin is a spirit in love with boundaries

   and often walks the line between

      his people

          and humanity

             amid whom he can blend in

                 when desired

Legends even say he favors mid-autumn

   that period after the passage of summer

      but before the cold finality of winter

For those lucky enough to gain his friendship

  Robin will guide them along the darkest passageways

    as he imparts knowledge of the timeless Hills

       to which all fay

          could someday retire

            to their own land

Until he leaves faithful companions

  safe on the outskirts of the forest  

    as the dawn breaks

       over the distant horizon  

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