Part One
My only Son, Diego,
The son and only child
Who my beloved wife bore me,
Had changed so much
Since he came back from Spain.
I thought I knew my son,
For his mother and I were proud
Of the child that we dreamed
So long to have.
And when my lovely wife died,
I drew my son close to me.
I tried to raise and train my son
In the way his mother would have
Wanted him to be,
A proud person with
An intelligent mind and
A kind, compassionate heart.
I saw my son grew up
From a little boy to a lanky lad,
Doing all the things
That pleases a father's heart,
From riding horses to reading,
To learning at home and the church.
I sent my only child to Spain
Hoping that he would learn
The things his age would demand,
As a caballero and a don.
Would he become the man
That this father's heart desired?
With the letter I wrote
Calling my son home,
Cutting short a year in his studies,
Hoping he wouldn't mind
Because of the problems at home
Demanding his presence.
My old heart gladdened
At the sight of my son
When he returned from Spain.
The tall and lanky lad had become
A handsome young man
With his mother's sparkling eyes.
Disappointed at my son's lacking spirit
When he turned from the fight
In which I had called him home.
Had Diego changed so much?
Had the school sent me a poet
Instead of a military man?
But another man had shown up
Almost the same time as Diego's return.
This man, clothed in black,
Rode a black and powerful stallion,
Released my good friend from jail,
Fought with a sword against the capitan.
Then, in my dreams, I saw this man,
Who called himself, El Zorro.
He rode against the evil monster,
Fought skillfully with his sword.
With my hand, I grabbed his mask,
And there would be the face of my son, Diego.
Hoping against hope,
This father's heart began it quest
To find out who is this masked man.
As I watched the one
Who saved my life and my son's,
Quietly admired his fighting spirit.
Everyday my son disappionted me.
Once I called him a coward
Hoping that would spur him into action
But when I saw the shock in my son's face,
My heart wished it could
Take that moment back.
Continuing to Part Two
