Battlefield Empathies
Our eyes surveyed the vast battlefield
An aftermath of a bloody war
Him and I, we were the triumphant victors
And above our heads we raised the shield
The crown for which we sacrificed our men
The symbol of our power and strength
We raised it over the vanquished that lay
In stillness of death the ones we slay
He glanced at me with pride unmasked
And I reluctantly handed it over
We had killed a thousand men
To earn a shadow of ephemeral power
He took the field in front of me
And I prodded my steed to follow
When in the misty twilight we saw
The silhouette of our emissary
His horse proceeded towards us in slow
He had donned a magnificent robe
Walking up to the man next to me
I saw him bow his head down low
Thunder roared and lightning struck
In a flash I saw a shining lance
Two loud cries I heard at once
But one died, his head rolled onto the muck
I looked down at the headless body
Of a man so unflinching
I felt no sorrow nor any grief
Only a sense of loss for a moment so brief
The man in the robe mounted his horse
He looked and me and smiled
He knew he instantly won me over
He had just killed my father…
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Poem originally written on August 9, 2001.
Category: Poems
I very much like your use of language!!! Can hear drums of war and fast heart beat. Really like it!