Wooing Season

When they spread the Welcome doormat out and put the drawbridge down,
a dozen different wooers came visiting from town.
Her father set her brideprice at a princely sum,
then settled back to watch her suitors go and come.
He gaged their skill at horsemanship by how they wound their courses,
weaving through the mazes he’d set up for their horses.

He set up jousting matches, thinking he could tell
by which retained their mounts and by which suitors fell,
who might be best suited for his daughter’s hand,
but time spent in combat instead of tilling land
signified an emphasis that although most impressive,
for the landed gentry might turn out to be excessive.

And in the end he chose the one he determined from the start
was the one most likely to win his daughter’s heart.
Watching from the battlements, he saw his daughter’s smile
as he rode ever closer, mile after mile.
He wore no shining armor and his steed was not the best,
but he seemed, somehow, to stand out from the rest.

He rode with calm assurance and when the gates spread wide,
he asked for water for his horse before he came inside.
He shook the dust off of his cloak, then strode into the hall
as though he was a friend already, making his usual call.
And as his eyes fell on their daughter, and hers fell on him,
the lights of other courters seemed to fade and dim.

Daughter, father, suitor strolled out on the land,
and by the time the sun had set, he’d requested her hand.
Soon this last contender had joined his family
And he had a grandchild balanced on each knee.
Thus did a wise father make the best decision, 
exercising thoughtfulness and his keenest vision.

Prompt words today are doormat, spent, princely, gage and emphasis. Image by Cederic Vandenberghe on Unsplash.