THE WAR HORSE

I can feel the tremor of two hundred thousand armed men
On either side of the line that separates loss from win.
The man astride my back asks me to gallop for him.
On our side of the line, I race past armored kin.
Back and forth I sprint while the man yells sin,
“Have no fear! Show no mercy! Every last one, kill them!”

My brothers and sisters all shiver in the steel
That covers their bodies from their ears to their heels.
Like me they know that men gave us our appeal:
Carry your rider loyally and be his shield
Even if a silver blade is what we will feel.
Upon returning home we are promised a sweet warm meal.

He halts me finally and I stand in the lead
Ready to charge towards any forthcoming steed.
Everything is still and I stand at ease.
I excel in battle and I am all that he needs
For a safe return home with no vital injuries.
We wait in the silence as he trembles and heaves.

I patiently stand with him sitting in the tack
Ready to battle and never ever look back
To see my brothers and sisters being slaughtered and hacked.
He pushes me forward to strike rival racks.
With hooves flailing and bared teeth I attack
The foe with no thought of what he so desperately lacks.

The enemy cowers on his own two feet
No stallion or mare beneath his seat.
I come thundering down with a deafening beat.
The enemy, he lies wounded and weak.
Never to rise and never to seek
Another clash with such an ending so bleak.

I rage onward for my rider is not through
Butchering the others as it is long past due.
By thrashing my hooves I slay at least two.
My rider fiercely swings his sword murdering a few.
I am still waiting for him to give me my cue.
Finally he is ready and the dirt is stained with a rich red hue.

We have our victory and he slaps my armored flank.          
The field voluminously rumbles and with a terrific shake
Cheers erupt from our mass causing the world to quake.
We can at last go home where there is a freshwater lake.
I can take a long drink and bask in the wake
Of the battle we won for freedom’s sake.