NIGHT ARMIES

Armies of the dead
Come searching for the living,
Swords are drawn, lances borne
Through beating hearts, they’re driven.

Marching through dark shadows
Where evil deeds were once done,
They need to kill the enemy
Although victory is long won.

Swinging swords at their dead foe
Firing cannons into the dark,
A long-fought battle rages
In the midst of a royal park.

Knights from days of yore
Do battle against men in tanks,
Fokker planes come swooping low
Firing ‘pon advancing ranks.

Foo fighters sear the night
With their yellow moon-like glow,
As skeletal warriors march on
As time itself begins to slow.

The dead stand face to face
Shattering bones with musket fire,
On and on the battle rages
Throughout this awful night.

Gattling guns ratta-tat-tat
Against soldiers from Iraq,
Crimean soldiers climb a hill
And answer the cry, “Attack!”

Viet Cong soldiers tunnel in
To defend a far expanse,
Mortars fire and H-bombs roar
To scorch this waste landed.

Armies of the dead reborn
Unaware their time has gone,
Fight on in endless battle
Until another night is done.

THE END
© Copyright 2021 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia