From: hjfeld@acs.bu.edu (harold feld)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Fighting with disabilities (was:Fighting for Crown....A Question.)
Date: 3 Jan 93 06:48:17 GMT
Organization: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

In article <1ho0b5INNk0h@shelley.u.washington.edu> lcatlett@carson.u.washington.edu (Lynn Catlett) writes:
>>Mudanely, I know a gentleman who holds a 3rd dan in Tae Kwon Do, and
>>spars (very effectively) from his wheelchair.
>>	Mark Cochran 		Lord Edward Tremaine
>
>Yup!  I used to know a man who'd had polio as a child
>and therefore operated with a crutch/brace assembly
>but who had some advanced esoteric experience in one
>of the bare-hands martial arts.  I considered the stories
>about him to be so much urban folklore until he dealt
>calmly--almost casually--with an attempted mugging (we
>being the muggees) in NYC one dark night...  
>Inspiring!  (I remembered to inspire after it was over!)
>Lin Yin Yo
>  living in the past
>  no, the other past
> 

Good gentles, this thread reminds me of one of my current favoriite
filks by Leslie Fish, which I post now for those who enjoy such
things.  Any who dislike filk should skip the remainder of this
post.

Title: Cripples Sheild Wall by Leslie Fish

Consider the plight of the one legged knight
As he braces his crutch with his shield
Well he'll stand there and wait, 'till you come for the bait
Then you'll find that the bastard won't yield
If you knock his one leg out 'twill bring no relief
He can crawl cross the field with a sword in his teeth
And the strength of his sword arm defies all belief
Where he fights in the cripples shield wall

Consider the dame, whose arthritic and lame
So knee sprung she can hardly stand
But her hand and her eye, are still young and spry
She's the best cross-bow shot in the land
With her repeating crossbow and war arrow blade
She can pierce any armor that's ever been made
Be glad she's noty drawn to the highway man's trade
She just fights in the cripples shield wall

No relief will you find from the knight who is blind
He can hear you ten paces away
He'll wait there off-hand
Till he knows where you stand
Then his billing stroke reaps more than hay
He can fight in the forest, the river, the plain
With his hearing unhampered by fog, dar, or rain
He must know his ground, but he'll sure bring you pain
When he fights with the cripple's shield wall

Oh pray don't go near, the knight who can't hear
Thoough he can't hear command calls at all
He gets signs from his friends, and his post he defends
With a lightning fast seven foot maul
They say when its moving it raises a breeze
And the ball on its chain has been known to break trees
When it starts swinging, the prudent man flees.
And he fights in the cripple's shield wall

Beware in the fight, of the crippled arm knight
Though his arm can't swing up, only down
For he'll watch through the dance, 'till he spies a good chance
Then his down stroke will cost you his crown
His shield arm will raise up his sword arm and then
He'll wait for a chance for his downstroke again
You know that he'll strike, but you never know when
When he fights in the cripple's shield wall

So please I implore, all you masters of War
Who prefer to draft healthy young boys
For the blind halt and lame can be good at this game
If well placed defending the toys
They've learned their skills well and their weapons are true
If they've something to prove well they'll prove it on YOU!
The last line on Earth that you'd want to break through
Well you'll swear, it's the cripple's shield wall
Beware of the cripple's shield wall.

Copyright 1992 by L.Fish.  Permission to reproduce this on
the net is freely given. For anything else, contact the
Author c/o Firebird Arts & Music, Inc. BMI P.O. Box 14785
Portland, OR 97214

Yaakov