Uploaded March 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
By Dark
When it is time I follow the black dog
into the darkness that is the mind of day
I can see nothing but the black dog
the dog I know going ahead of me
not looking back oh it is the black dog
I trust now in my turn after the years
when I had all the trust of the black dog
through an age of brightness and through shadow
on into the blindness of the black dog
where the rooms of the dark were already known
and had no fear in them for the black dog
leading me carefully up the blind stairs.
-- W.S. Merwin
By Dark
When it is time I follow the black dog
into the darkness that is the mind of day
I can see nothing but the black dog
the dog I know going ahead of me
not looking back oh it is the black dog
I trust now in my turn after the years
when I had all the trust of the black dog
through an age of brightness and through shadow
on into the blindness of the black dog
where the rooms of the dark were already known
and had no fear in them for the black dog
leading me carefully up the blind stairs.
-- W.S. Merwin
![Hound of Tara & Oma Gosh Dance of Deaths Just a Jig (Read Description) [For Honor]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mILjgI1kzF0/mqdefault.jpg "Hound of Tara & Oma Gosh Dance of Deaths Just a Jig (Read Description) [For Honor]
FAMILIAR OAKS – Some had nothing to live on but bogs and rocky hillsides, if even that. As a poet once said, there is a problem with getting food when you have wounded land: with nothing to grow it in, there is nothing to grow. Souls must be the same way, thought the old man.
He didn’t recognize the habits of villagers these days. They seemed scarred deep from within. They were afraid of: invasion, silence, afraid of thinking and strange weather; worst of all they were afraid of each other. Out of fear or madness (or both, the old man didn’t know), he heard stories that people sometimes massacred large groups of innocents – even children – right in their own hometowns, for no apparent reason at all.
And yet the old man had hope.
True, the night has a way of making one strain to find light in the stars, and they seem like riddled gems on the ceiling of what is known.
However, by day the sky cast a certain regard over everyone, as if to say, “If only you all knew how capable you are of being light like this, everywhere at once, guiding all living things, as strong as noonday sun.”
High noon made shadows weak.
No matter, the river was always there, familiar and steady. The old man followed it, ate and drank from it, and long ago, when he was younger, he crossed it to find his true love.
Especially where great Oaks aligned by the river, the old man could see his wife in his heart, and the wind felt like her merciful hands once did through his hair. Deeper into the forests he sometimes found great Oaks, who were so mighty, and full of life unseen, that their branches and leaves swayed when there was no wind at all. The old man often took shelter beneath these leaves impenetrable.
He imagined the trees’ vast stretch of underground roots, intertwining with roots of other trees a great distance away. Trees share rain beneath the soil, and on occasion these roots showed above the ground, like a segment of sea-snake just seen in a Loch, and these above-ground roots were sometimes earthed over. Is it true that people are merely trees that walk and talk? the old man wondered, stepping over a tree root.
Had it been months or years, or more than a lifetime, since he himself was rooted back home?
A fellow Celt, known as the Hound of Tara, was nearby and happened upon the bramble-covered, old man talking to himself. They considered each other brothers in kind and the Hound decided to fight alongside him during this stretch of his journey, a journey that broadened like a sunset.
Or a sunrise.
Depending on how one views such things.
Once, long ago, as he was sharpening his Claymore, readying for a battle, the old man’s wife said to him, “If you leave here to defend us, you had better return. I care a great deal about the outcome of the battle, but moreover, you are my land, my home is you.” She then said, “You and I can go anywhere and bring our idea of home with us.”
This memory he still carried with him!
***
This channel has gameplay but it seeks to write short stories and poetry in its descriptions that go beyond mere fan-fiction. It is NOT based on any heroes in For Honor, nor does it wish to be constrained as belonging to a video game or strict lore.
In short, Im trying to do something I havent exactly seen anywhere else, and it’s difficult for me, it takes time, and I never really know what comes next. The future of this channel is limitless, or it may come to an abrupt end.
Hound of Tara’s truly wonderful channel is both top-skilled gameplay and hilarious For Honor content like no other. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/user/xXTheGreenGruntXx
If you want to show support you can subscribe and share the stories in these descriptions with others who appreciate literature, short stories, poetry, history or all of the aforementioned. Fee free to share with people who may not play For Honor (or video-games) if you like.
As always, please, PLEASE keep it clean, and be kind, not just here on this channel and in your gaming, but out there, in all our shared lives.
Songs:
Animals As Leaders, CAFO
Freshly Wrapped Candies, And")
![Sword in the Stone [For Honor]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oiMmOFouXKM/mqdefault.jpg "Sword in the Stone [For Honor]
A FIRE WITHIN After years of searching for his Love, the Old Man felt like it was not a search but rather exile. He no longer felt that seething flame when his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his Claymore. The metal weighed more somehow. He looked up to the sky. He wanted to see the peace in her eyes again, as one evening the moon shone bright in the water of a deep well, and he thought he saw her looking up at him.
Somewhere, not that far off, sleek feathers of raven wings were bent and still in a tree. A chill went through the Old Man’s faded bones. A shot of lightning pierced the sardonic air.
Had the Banshee called upon one of his loved ones to carry them away, he wondered. If the night was telling him his wife was no more, he refused to give in.
In the cave he heard the drip drip of cold water sliding down the part of the cave that grows down into spikes. He could sense that the first snow of the season was upon him. He needed to warm himself. At first, he attempted to call upon the memories of his wife. It did not work. He could not see her face. But they had a bond that could not be broken, so he built a fire.
To build a fire is a ritual that we all must do at least once in our lives, he thought, but the Old Man had built many fires and none of them had warmed him the way the fire at home had, many many years ago. There are some feelings that a fire may only offer once in a lifetime. The idea is to try and carry the feeling from that fire onto your next fire.
Then the Old Man went out hunting, but he needed to feel the creature calling him. He licked the tip of his finger, raised it up to the wind, felt the wind’s compass on his fingertip, pointing due North. The Old Man heard the wind whisper her name, but it could have been the trees. It didn’t matter — he set out in that direction. When he stepped forward, the fire dissipated behind him, and even the smoky incense from the fire followed him at first, wrapping around his body like a ghost shield, and then letting go of him, like a traveler’s blessing.
If you feel True North on your fingers, you must follow it, he said to himself. That is the direction of the Goddess of the Hunt, and either you will find what you are looking for, or else it will find you.
***
The chapter from the Old Mans story is for those who missed it the first time around. If youre new here, this channel is largely inspired by the people who write in the comments. Check the end of the video for the writing prompt or do your own thing. Like other peoples writing and if you see someone new here, welcome them. Write something for the prompt and I may pin your poem or story for a time for everyone to see. Write only what you are comfortable with sharing, as at least a few thousand people will read what you write.
Sub sub bell bell, but moreover, be kind, here, in your gaming, and especially out there — in all our shared lives.")
![Highlanders 2 Stances Are 1 — Old Man Aengus [For Honor]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q3qVCrUCUKE/mqdefault.jpg "Highlanders 2 Stances Are 1 — Old Man Aengus [For Honor]
Writing Prompt: Respawn
Hey everyone, I only recently had a chance to play a handful of hours with HL, but what fun it is, given his new dodge attack. You up-and-coming Highlanders and other content creators whom I support in other games, I just want to let you know: I may not always have time to leave comments or catch your live streams, but I make the rounds and leave likes for all of you. Thank you especially to those of you who actually mention this channel in your discords and streams and reddit etc.
The poem I feature at the end of this video is one of best yet from this community. I guarantee if you re-read the poem, its meanings continue growing. I believe great writing is meant to do this. It somehow keeps opening doors into different ways of seeing.
Please leave poems/stories/real-life adventures of your own as well. I also highly encourage you to comment on and thumbs up other peoples poems/stories/journaling.
And in case you missed this writing of mine the first time around, here is a chapter I wrote some time ago :
One and the Same – The old man remembered back when he was a very young lad, hunting with his father one day. His father was the best fighter in all the village and had slain more Romans and rival Celts than any other man.“Father, asked the boy, if I plant an Oak, will I become strong? And if I treat my horses well, will I be swift? These were sayings around their town, and the boy was merely repeating what he’d heard.
His father stopped them from walking just as the mouth of the river could be seen through the trees. The boy heard the sound of the water going over the pebbles in the bend. His father looked up at the sun through some leaves and wiped sweat from his forehead. He tugged at the thick white braid in his beard. “Those are very good things to do,” he said, “but they will not make you strong and swift on their own. They are one in the same: strength and swiftness.”
The boy was holding a small rock he’d picked up because he liked the feel of it in his hand. When he heard what his father said he squatted down and started to make a circle in the dirt with the rock.
“If you can catch an animal with your bare hands, and build a fire anywhere, if you can remember the stories told to you, and then recite them to others, that’s a start,” said his father.
“How will that help me learn to fight?”
His father ignored his question and said, “The more you understand yourself, the better you understand the world. You should listen more than you speak.”
And to this the young boy said nothing.
“Then, if you truly know yourself, you will never rely on worldly things, and you’ll be able to fight blindfolded.”
Had the boy not followed his father’s advice, he never would have met his wife, who was from a town on the other side of that same river. When he met her, some years later, she was the most striking woman he’d ever seen, and also, being the daughter of a great known hero, he enjoyed listening to her talk about a great manner of things. Therefore he picked one violet and one white flower, and gave them to her one day.
And therefore she twisted their stems together and did, indeed, wear them in her hair.
If youre new here, this channel is largely inspired by the people who write in the comments. Theres a writing prompt at the end of some videos. If YOU write something for the prompt I may pin your poem or story for a time, or put it in a video for everyone to see. You can write from the prompt but you can also just ignore the damn prompt and write from the heart, from the place where you are at in this moment. Write only what you are comfortable sharing, as (at least) a few thousand people could read it.
As always, be kind, not only here and in your gaming, but especially out there, in all our shared lives.")
![How to Warlord Pt 5 [For Honor]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rEXwDNT_WgQ/mqdefault.jpg "How to Warlord Pt 5 [For Honor]
Warlords heavy after full-block doesnt work consistently. But I cant stop playing Warlord. Full-block can be used in a rhythmic, stop-and-go style for baiting and counter-attacks. His hard feint into headbutt is underused. Most of all, he has great crushing counters and can trade with the best of them. Looking forward to his buff thats coming soon. Support the community, including competitive players and others who are helping the devs further balance the game.
Writing Prompt:
What does your life look like 5 years from now?
song: https://youtu.be/SFxxL0B5Xao
If youre new here, this channel is largely inspired by the people who write in the comments. There are original stories and poems found in videos and descriptions on this channel - but you will also find talented, aspiring (and inspiring) writers in the comments sections here. Sometimes these will be featured in future videos as well.
Write something for the prompt and I may pin your poem or story for a time for everyone to see. Write only what you are comfortable with sharing, as at least a few thousand people may read your work. Hit the notification bell if you’d like to know when the next one arrives. As always, be kind, not only here and in your gaming, but especially out there, in all our shared lives.")
![Old Man Considers Real vs Imagined Fights [For Honor]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sUpyTmUNz_E/mqdefault.jpg "Old Man Considers Real vs Imagined Fights [For Honor]
If youre new to the channel, welcome! There are original stories and poems found in videos and descriptions on this channel - but you will also find talented, aspiring (and inspiring) writers in the comments sections here.
Write something for the prompt and I may pin your poem or story for a time for everyone to see.
By all means share this channel with people who may not play video-games, but just enjoy writing or history. Hit the notification bell if you’d like to know when the next one arrives. As always, be kind, not only here and in your gaming, but especially out there, in all our shared lives.")
