I Was Just a Pawn

No Coat of Arms, no Knightly charms
No Bishop's robe to don...
I do not ride a sturdy steed
I am just a pawn.

Kings will toast, and warlords boast
Of victories; 'til dawn
While I lay in a trench, of human stench...
I am just a pawn.

Called to guard the castle walls,
My wife and children dead
I shiver in the predawn chill
Blanketed in dread...

And listen to the revelry,
Inside the castle walls
Saving my last ounce of energy,
For when the warlord calls.

I do not fear the battle...
Nor fear the blood-streaked dawn.
I do not fear a soldier's death.
I am just a pawn.

I watch the towers crumble,
From my trench beyond the gate...
A kingdom built by greed and wealth
Fortified with hate.

And in the end, no crown or throne...
No dragon banners to wave..
The mighty and the lowly pawn,
Now share a common grave.

Dusty fables from the past
Will speak of kingdoms gone...
And how Nobles and Knaves, share common graves....
When I was just a pawn.