Richard Heyworth's Ode to Stonemarche

Stonemarche!
I came to you a stranger
I was alone and I was afraid
You put a bow into my hand
You hung a shield upon my back
You placed a blade between me and my foes
You said: fear nothing within my halls

Stonemarche!
I met you on the road
It was dark, and I was cold
You made for me a place at your fire
You served me from your finest mead
You shared with me the bounty of your feast
You said: there is no famine here.

Stonemarche!
I knew you first in darkness
I was lost, and the world was sick
You surrounded me with pageantry
You taught my hands to create
You gave my voice the gift of verse and song
You said: with us, you are home

Stonemarche!
I came to you a stranger
You welcomed me as a friend.