I have not abandoned my sword
for trowel and spade.
I could pierce a man’s heart
with my blade as neatly
as this needle pierces fabric.
I have not forgotten how to be a warrior, though
I have turned my attentions toward healing and growing.
I have become a wife and a mother.
Yet I am a still Shieldmaiden.
It has made me who I am; I could never
discard that part of myself.
If there is need, the Shieldmaiden will awake
again to wage battle.
But for now, she is content to rest
at peace with this new life.