They marched to war in rank and files
Wearing silver, white and blue
Singing songs to pass the miles
A band of brothers, fast and true
For war was called, and families all
Had sent their sons and fathers forth
To answer king and country's call
With laughs and smiles: 'twas all sport
The captain rode at company's head
And laughed to see his men so proud
With spears like trees, a forest dread
On sight the foe would be so cowed
Then word came from the scouts ahead
A foe was marching in their path
Ten miles east, their lines had tread
The captain spoke: They'll meet our wrath
Tents were pitched the night afore
And greeted stars with fires red
The captain spoke and reassured:
A bloodless triumph, so he said
Morning came, dawn stained the sky
Streaks of crimson, drawn askew
Men assembled, gathered swords,
Wearing silver, white and blue
Amongst them Michael leaned one way
Upon his pike as not to fall
A blacksmith's son now called away
To serve his king and country's call
And joker Jes, smiling eyes
Less for swords than irksome pranks
Always asked to apologize
Yet never did unless outflanked
And Arthur, barrel chest and arms
A man from farther fields of wheat
A coif to keep his head from harm
A tunic made from rings replete
Young men standing with their arms
Well-equipped, but incomplete
They looked to war without alarm
Had not ever faced defeat
All had come from separate lives
All were poor and most were young
All assured they would survive
And who would doubt the captain's tongue?
The captain rode, his smile gone
And horns gave forth a keening call
A sword he drew, was skyward drawn:
"Our Victory, afore nightfall!"
The horns again, that mournful cry
And voices rose to match the sound
The men marched forward, none denied
The foe would not be run aground
Then came a call to match the first
With wooden twang, foe arrows flew
Like sharks to blood to sake their thirst
The captain fell: red, white, and blue
They stood aghast: the captain fell?
Yet no time could be had to mourn
From 'cross the field, what came their way
But foe toward in one great swarm
Back and forth and down the line
Boys fought one aside his others
As if each fellow were his kine
And thus they fell beside brothers
And fall they did - by rank and file
As one they stood, as one they fell
Up and down a bloody mile
And stained the grass a red pastel
Then foeblown horns at last called end
And off they flew, the battle won
So Michael called out to his friends
Yet no man answered, not a one
He stood upon a hill alone
The green field stained red, white, and blue
And when he climbed upon a stone
He saw he was a one of few
The ruins laid afore his gaze
To see the husks of men laid bare
Where sunlight lit the ground ablaze
With broken blades and armor there
Then to his knees that boy did fall
And to the ground his helmet tossed
To serve the king and country's call
The battle won, but at what cost?
He cried aloud: "What madness when
These men who wear their crowns should send
Us to our deaths with nought but pens."
And here, I fear, you'll find the end.
