The armor did glisten in the sun
Ten thousand warriors at the ready
Spears and bows were held in calloused hands
A thousand ships awaited at sea
Five thousand horses stood in ranks
Mounted soldiers pulled their faceplates tight
Combat banners flapped angrily in the wind
Commanders gave finals orders for the fight
Trumpets were ordered to play their sounds
The advance echoed by the marching feet
On the ocean sails were unfurled
A strong wind pushed forward the mighty fleet
The opposing force just stood their ground
Though outnumbered by ten to one they remained
A gallant people who had repelled many invaders
They would do what they had always been taught
A mighty clamor did soon arise
As the intruders hit sword to shield
Their captains ordered a much quicker pace
Hoping that the enemy would break and yield
The defenders just watched with ongoing sorrow
As their little fleet was sunk and crushed
Scarcely had the two fleets engaged and finished
Before the invading army pressed their advance and rushed
The charge of the ten thousand invaders
Was something the defenders had never seen before
Though glorious as they came across the plain
Beauty soon gave way to the reality of blood and gore
The king gave the signal and ordered a hasty retreat
The defenders were urged to run to the town’s gate
But the invading horsemen cut most of them down
And scarcely two hundred momentarily escaped their fatal fate
The advancing army did swarm the town
Neither gate nor boiling oil stopping them in their path
They quickly slew the remaining defenders
And set about to show the citizens their wrath
Swords and spears sliced through the air
Neither child nor woman were spared
The town was looted and eventually destroyed
Remaining survivors just cried and stared
A thousand years was unceremoniously vaporized
Arts and beauty lost and gone for good
A culture was destroyed and cast aside
Just because the invader knew he could
Before the sun set in the sky
The defending king was found and killed
They threw his body upon the city’s ruins
And prayed to their Gods for the blood they spilled
Of morals there isn’t much to say
Except that war never brings anything good
If we really knew what we all lose in war
Would we ever stop even if we knew we could?
