Saying Goodbye

Old friend;
You protected me in my youth, allowed me the chance to become a man.
On those dark nights that it did not seem I would ever feel warmth again,
you stayed by my side until the dawn.
There has never been a more tireless ally in a thousand years, across countless battlefields.
my debt to you I will repay with compassion and honour, indeed  precious currencies,
not to be squandered.
Now, I stand on the shore of the rest of my life seduced by opportunity and enamoured by possibility.
The armour you helped me forge out neccessity becomes heavier with everyday that passes long after the faces of my foes have dissipated, as if smoke gently carried away by the wind after embers run cold.
I cannot feel love through this iron skin, and it serves me no longer.
You gave me the courage to survive, for this I will be ever grateful, now I must learn a different kind of courage; I need to become adept at compassion...to exchange my blade for love.
You the tactician, fending off all threat.  No more, I now choose trust.
I will honour you for the rest of my days, but I must say goodbye so that I may live my life.
It is the hardest farewell I have ever endured, alas, I must reunite with my heart.
It cries out to me endlessly, I choose to listen, to grow....to flourish.