at the precise moment when the hammer
hit the anvil everything changed

three years later
the old couple
worn even thinner by their efforts to feed
and satisfy the needs of
the ever hungry child
sat down
looked at each other
and decided they had done enough

one eye
at five
knew the ropes well enough
and decided to take charge
quietly milking the goats
collecting the honey
setting the traps
tending the fields
and with his own hands
he put food on the table

no words were spoken
deeds were enough

within a year
the old couple died

a giant tear welled up in his one eye
and he cried for the first and the last time

he buried them by the shore
then lit the forge
and hammered out a spear