The Secret Stead is the pen name of a UK-based writer and
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onnet I
The King Arthur of which we speak
Of great legend, did Merlin meet,
And of great power did create
A world beneath his kingly feet:
And beneath lay an ugly snake
Who from other snakes did retreat;
Alone and hidden in the gloom,
Who could foretell this story's doom?
The loyal knights were called to fight
To keep this evil out of way,
Thus to have his highness hold sway,
This snake as black as black as night,
This weed, this snake, who would attack;
This weed was pulled out from his crack.
onnet II
The snake pulled out, began to fight;
This worm, this jape, this jackanape,
How dare the devil not take flight?
His song of hiss made all irate.
Thus time it came to kill the snake,
To fell the sound that came from it.
Loyal knights came with steely ire,
Took ten men to cut his wire.
This snake as black as black as night,
Yet dare he still not run and hide?
Thus had to be smoked out of sight.
This ugly weed none could abide,
This weed, this snake, who would attack;
This weed was pulled out with a crack.
onnet III
The snake pulled out, began to pray
To his own Gods to see his plight.
He hissed and slithered night and day,
For one to halt this awful blight.
For what was wrong with his black skin?
What soliloquy could it bring
To a great King and his Merlin,
For one so low to be singing?
His Gods heard and believed him right.
The King and loyal knights did wrong;
Crown, mage, ten men: twelve in a fight
To kill a black snake for his song,
This snake who just happened to lay
Beneath a king's feet in this way.
onnet IV
The King Arthur of which we speak
Of great legend, did Merlin greet.
Did command a great sword he make
To lay beneath his kingly feet.
For beneath them lay this black snake,
From loyal knights would not retreat.
Alone and hidden in his gloom,
Who could foretell his story's doom?
Merlin heard and believed him right.
His King needed a sword so strong
To cut down the black snake in sight,
To kill this black snake for his song,
This snake who just happened to lay
Beneath his king's feet in this way.
onnet V
Merlin took his staff and did crack
The earth and river with its fire.
Prayed nightly himself on his back
To forge a sword of pure silver,
Which the mage named Excalibur.
The sword so named to bring the true,
So sure was he of its power,
So sure was he that it would do.
So sure it would kill the black snake,
Kill his sound that came from below.
Loyal knights and their steely ire,
Twelve men now came to cut his wire.
For this devil must now take flight,
Run his shadow deep through the night.
onnet VI
Merlin took his staff and did smack
The sword now named Excalibur,
To seal the sword from attack,
To harden its edge of silver,
And take the snake from where he lay.
Remove his black mark from this land,
To make this black jape rue the day
He ever thought he could withstand
Dogs of war with tightened collars,
Waiting for the great King's command,
To unleash these knights on orders
And have them run from kingly hand.
For this devil must now take flight,
Run his shadow deep through the night.
onnet VII
The black snake of this story's sum,
Now pulled out, would not hide or run.
Heard dogs howl with the setting sun.
Heard pigs squeal in a nearby farm.
Knew these were all portents of doom
From the storm to come to do harm.
But who would help a snake in gloom?
He sang all day to make a charm,
To protect himself on this stage
That lay beneath such kingly feet,
And from the hatred of the mage.
For the black snake would not retreat.
But where could he, so low, now go?
Not even the farthest shadow.
onnet VIII
Lone black snake, he stood in their way.
Prayed to his gods to see him through
The candled night unto the day.
He hissed and slithered in his woe,
For what was wrong with his black sight?
The King and loyal knights did wrong;
Crown, mage, ten men: twelve in a fight
To kill a black snake for his song.
Converged round a table so round,
Twelve men to destroy a zealot.
To run one black snake from aground
Came this fable of Camelot.
But where could one, so low, now go?
Not even the farthest shadow.
onnet XI
King Arthur and his loyal men
Sitting round a table so round;
Verily twelve such brave brethren
To run one black snake from aground.
So the snake did call on a blue
Dragon from a deep ancient wood.
But his power died long ago,
His fiery breath was no good.
The snake then called a golden
Eagle flying on moutain high.
But the bird did not heed the call
From one so low and small at all.
Thus it goes in all wars of kind.
Brave men in search of snakes to find.
onnet X
Now on horseback came the riders:
Crown, mage, ten men: twelve in a fight;
Kill the black snake! cried the riders,
As their hooves stamped the ground alight.
Now what was the black snake to do?
To protect himself on this stage
That lay beneath such kingly rule,
And from the hatred of his mage.
For the black snake would not retreat,
Nor would fight them as they gauged.
For all this black snake did was sing,
And never hurt a living thing.
Thus it goes in all wars of kind.
Brave men in search of snakes do find.
onnet XI
Thus Merlin made a man a King.
When the black snake lay forlorn,
With such a heated joy therein,
Strong love between brothers was born.
Thus harder than the hardest iron,
And sword so named to bring the true,
Its sheath of leather once so tight,
Lay opened now without a fight.
Came time to reward loyal knights
Of thickened heads and silken might,
Heated blood and veiny tissue,
Skin of stone and fiery sinew,
Sword and his master forged as one.
As night and day shares moon and sun.
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onnet XII
The battle was over and won.
Clean was the ground beneath the feet
Of King Arthur on which we speak
of great legend; did now entreat
For lovemaking and merriment.
Dressed as troubadours, loyal knights
Dancing for the great King's intent,
Their backs in war so straight, now bent,
And the dogs of war fell silent.
For the black snake was no more.
Stars now joined in the firmament,
Rings aligned with balls of fire.
Sword and its master forged as one.
As night and day shares moon and sun.
Published 18 April, 2026
