Aftermath



From the aftermath of battle,
My comrades before me lay,
Defeated by the winds of change,
Soon to come a world so strange,
With a future cold and gray.

My sharpened blade, now dull with rust,
For here honor hath no meaning,
Greed takes the place of chivalry,
For men’s only vision is what he sees,
And what’s seen is for his taking.

Shining armor paints not the scene,
For men wears nature’s colors,
To survival’s laws they must abide,
And within the forest shadows hide,
For deadly are the arms of war.

Nations stands with thieves as kings,
The scrolls of peace immersed in dust,
Neighboring states, so worlds apart,
And hate is held within their hearts,
And their people hold no trust.

A world of fools, where cruelty rules,
Is fated for destruction,
How much more will Nature stand,
Of people ravishing the land,
Before retaliation.

I ask thee why I could not die,
Was I forsaken by the past?
Could I give up this broken shell,
And free my spirit from this hell,
To soar to Avalon at last.

But Hope, she calls, a silent voice,
That my being here hath meaning,
The world I knew would be again,
And to show her ways I must begin,
For time’s a wheel that’s turning.

My honor lost, is now restored,
For I was meant to take this path,
My blade now sharp, my armor bright,
With the hope once gone as now my light,
I walk the aftermath.
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on 1985

Submitted by Warbard on September 24, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:15 min read
6

Quick analysis:

Scheme XABBA CDXXD XXEEX XCXXC XFGGF XHIIH XDXXD XJKKJ
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,305
Words 250
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Warbard

Poet & Philosopher, Soldier & Scholar, Warrior & Writer, Husband & Historian, Father & Freemason. Since the early '80s, Warbard has been a pen name for Shelby Chandler who is a historian and has made a home for his wife and four daughters in the area of Fredericksburg, Virginia. more…

All Warbard poems | Warbard Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Aftermath with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Aftermath" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/110420/aftermath>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    10
    hours
    41
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Love After Love"?
    A Derek Walcott
    B Robert Burns
    C William Shakespeare
    D Rabindranath Tagore