In my 2018 literature class we put on a Medieval feast (with everybody in costume) to celebrate the end of the school year. We had a fantastic time jousting, acting like barbarians, and gorging ourselves on turkey legs and ancient recipes passed down from The Wife of Bath, Beowulf, Macbeth, and other motley characters.

Last year in Ancient Literature, one of my students, Connor, wrote a poem titled “Up the Mast,” rhyming couplets, which was inspired by our reading of Odysseus’ spectacular exploits in The Odyssey.

This year Connor attended my Medieval Literature course, in which he was inspired to write a couple more poems: “Running Through the Forest,” inspired whilst reading The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood; and “When Sin Runs Rampant” is a work Connor composed while we were studying The Divine Comedy.

I hope you enjoy the work of Connor Rose, a young man of intellectual deftness, sensibility, and exceptional artistry.

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