Raising three boys, I have had my share of what could be
considered masculine television viewing.
Between action-packed movies, sporting events, and various competition
reality shows, I have become quite fond of these myself. One show in particular has not lost its edge
(pun intended): Forged in Fire on the
History Channel. We all still like to
gather around to watch the newest episode of this televised competition between
bladesmiths around the US. Some of our other
favorite shows have been: Survivor,
Impractical Jokers, Naked and Afraid, Alone, Ninja Warrior, Fear Factor, The
Selection, UFC fights, and countless Hurricane Hockey games.
The Forged in Fire television program inspired this poem:
Forged in Fire
A competition between experienced bladesmiths: Begins at Round
1,
To Forge a blade within parameters assigned- can it be done?
The clock starts to count down; the allotted time is pressing,
With a nearly impossible directive, there is no time for guessing,
A heavy mallet pounds against molten steel,
Steel, red hot that moves ever so slightly, and yet the
bladesmith has zeal,
The steel is plunged back into the forge fire again and
again,
The craftsman wipes his brow, as the metal begins to thin,
This process requires patience and persistence; it is not
for the weak,
It’s hot and exhausting- a task not for the meek,
I am intrigued with the bladesmith as he forms a shape to
his liking,
He repurposes the metal into a blade, with sparks flying
from his striking,
Quenched at just the right time, the steel is hardened as it
should be,
When a file skates gently down the edge, it is as good as it
could be,
The style and shape of the knife gives it its purpose,
Possibly to chop, slice, pierce and skin a dead carcass,
The edge is sharpened pristinely with the grinding tool,
A crafted piece of art- not for looks but performance, as a
general rule,
Elimination occurs when the time has expired,
And the judges determine which contestant must be retired,
The handle is crafted next to make a fully functional weapon:
This is Round 2,
Bone, wood, stag or stacked leather are natural choices, to
name only a few,
Comfortably shaped for gripping, not too round or too
square,
Each crafter produces a knife and the judges compare,
In rigorous testing, to determine strength and durability,
A judge may chop viciously into a solid block of ice to measure fragility,
In turn, a slice test through apples or sand bags tests the
blade for edge retention,
But by far the kill test is the most awesome to mention,
A ballistics dummy is usually disemboweled in this
particular test,
It seems to be the test everyone likes the best!
Artificial blood spews from the gut and splatters the judge
as he attacks,
It is gruesome and sometimes decapitation occurs with just a
few whacks,
At this point, the competition eliminates another fine
artisan,
And the remaining two are given a challenge that is truly non-partisan,
Round 3: Back to
their home forges these competitors go,
To attempt to craft the historical weapon assigned to them
on the show,
In four days, each one returns with a replica of the blade,
Once again, the judges brutally test to see how well it was
made,
Ultimately, a winner is declared and prize money is awarded,
You should set your DVR so this show will be recorded!
Tammy Harvey
Written: 6/18/2019
