Inspired by “Game of Thrones”, “Vikings” and other images. A bloody battlefield, the carnage and man’s endless need for warfare, sacrifice and  glory. One of my darker poems.

A Thousand Spears

High on a hill an impressive sight

A thousand spears glisten in cold morning light

Banners unfurled against a crimson sky

Ravens, like dark shadows circle and fly

Warriors and men stand proud and tall

Locked behind an unbroken shieldwall

Some shiver in the cold,others with fear

They wait and watch as the enemy draws near

Some pray to their gods that they will survive

And by the end of this day, still be alive

Some think of the glory, and not contemplate defeat

The sound of men coughing and shuffling feet

Horses neigh nervously ready to take flight

Sensing the fear and the coming fight

And wait for the bloody carnage to begin

So many will be lost, so few will win

Overhead,ravens circle and fly

Below, a bloody field where many will die

Soon they will feast

On fallen man and beast

Tearing flesh from bone and pecking eyes

With their bloodthirsty curling cries

So much slaughter, so much pain

So many young men among the slain

The Gods play games and roll the dice

Fate demands the ultimate price

Of the blood sacrifice with their lives

No more, the tender touch of lovers and wives

Or pleasures of the flesh, passion and desire

But the cold earth or funeral pyre

Many will pay the price of fame

So those that live can recall their name

Sagas of their mighty deeds and glory

Immortalized in song and story.

Music and poems ,in rhythm and rhyme

Every generation has it’s time

The wheel of time turns again and again

The cycle of violence in the world of men

For such arrogance and pride

So many men have died.

For fleeting moments of immortality and fame

While the gods continue to play their game.

c/ Denis Murphy 08 June 2017