Suckled from the Bosom of the Goddess of War

Into the fray, the smoky stained air
of battle’s frenzied throng,
where blood sprays and groans of pain belong,
as flesh ended in misery like meat upon the earth,
piles in lifeless blood-soaked mounds,
corrupted life in sounds of silent screaming,
the end of dreaming,
of glazed eyed stillness and hearts not beating.

As metal clashes in sibilant rings,
and grunts the release of stamina waning,
containing the fears of death it brings,
when faced with sorrowful life teetering,
a fateful throwing of dice,
who will fall and who will rise for more,
amid a war of no personal device,
an honor bound sacrifice for God and country.

Lines of souls did face one another, eye to eye,
the anticipation of what’s to come, the fire,
facing an enemy in task of life or death,
a power surging a life asserting stand,
when one victory only is left to command,
as death pervades the field of battle,
cannon fire in smoke and shrapnel
tear bodies limb from limb.

And death slowly shadows all light,
the smoke and acrid scent of life bereft, lingers,
and the thunder of marauding feet and clashing,
slowly falls away, as life decays in bloody mayhem,
trails of red aftermath, as fewer bodies stand,
the wounded cry for a helping hand,
in the misted field of morning sorrow,
for most the end of tomorrows.

And when one side falters, outnumbered and beaten,
they drop their swords in pained defeat,
and the smoke does clear, as if by a cleansing breeze,
to ease the reality, the harsh totality,
the death so stark upon the field,
a yielding of flesh in name of crests,
of ideals and power shifts, land and wealth,
for men to die in honor of it all.

And in blood and gore,
who says it was worth its weight in death
of so many, for some paltry sum of winning,
suckled from the bosom of the goddess of war.

Tony DeLorger © 2018

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Tony DeLorger

Full time author, freelance writer, poet and blogger since 1999. Twenty one published works, past winner of 'Poet of the Year' on HubPages, 'Poem of the Year' on The Creative Exiles, writer for Allpoetry.com, Google+, tonydwtf.blogspot.com.au
videos on YouTube and book sales on website thoughtsforabeautifulmind.com, Amazon and digitalprintaustralia.com.au/bookstore

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