The War is Coming!

“The war is coming – the war is here!”

The men tighten their belts, the men sharpen their blades.
Arm in arm and hand in hand,
they form a group, united to stand.
Their helmets glint bright, breastplates pulled tight.

“The war is coming – the war is here!”

Hour upon hour they spend in training.
Thrust and parry, deflect and thrust.
Run in circles, in circles they run.
Practice for battle, in preparation they trust.

“The war is coming – the war is here!”

A mantra of strength, of resisting the night,
take up arms, fight the fight.
The Captain makes rounds, inspects the troops.
Shield by shield and tip by tip
and mount by mount and face by face,
the Captain approves, the men stand straight.

“The war is coming – the war is here!”

The soldiers assemble, in rank and in line.
Pride in their smiles, they ride out to fight.
Swords drawn free and voices raised high,
they march onward to vict'ry tonight.

“The war is coming – the war is here!”

First sight of the enemy, so vast and fierce,
but their feet stay firm and they grip their spears.
The Captain lends courage to their eager ears –
the soldiers charge on, eager to pierce.

“The war is coming – the war is here!”

When the battle is over, the field lies cold, even quiet.
Grass chars on the earth while the dead butchered bodies bleed no more.
Mothers and fathers and children of yesterday have passed on to heaven today.
Flames still lick at the homes now gone, the only light left on this savage night.

To the east the soldiers stand in triumph,
in marvelous joy of not a soul lost in fight,
in this battle they fought for the sanctity of life.

“The war is coming – the war is here!”