The battle

There is honor in losing a battle,but regret in failing to brave one...

Whet your  blades ,

Seize your shields,

Clasp your daggers ,

Armour your body ,

Revamp your heart with the finest will.

Wipe the speck,

Watch your foe in the eye ,

Ride on steeds ,

And hoist yourself  ,

As you slay those hooded knights.

Neither the victory nor the conquest matters.

Neither ,when you ,

Sway to the wrong square or

Slay the wrong knights.

What matters is that you duel and triumph,

But dwell on the clatter of the hooves,

Rejoicing them like  notes of a jingle.

What matters is that you lose and lament ,

You repent ,You weep, like no warrior the world can harbour.

And then sew your wounds and soar,

While you let that immortal spirit roar.

What matters is that you choose not to hide behind caves

Or lunge your arrows from the castle keep,

While the horsemen spur their way in.

For futile it is ,

To repel the evil with evil.

No matter how hard the foe’s shield thumps on your armour

You choose to clench your jaws

And not let go,

Until your spine finally gives over.

 

This battle aint an ordinary one.

The most dubious conflict,

On the most fragile terrain.

Yet, the fathomless truth gives you the nerve,

To endure and to defy,

To swish your sword in one moment,

And then to bleed under your rival blades in the next ,

To open your eyes,to the star of the east,

Or to lie low, to melt into the dust beneath.

To get chased by ,

And to hunt at times .

This war within, that every sage or seer  speaks of ,

The knights ,the steeds ,the shields ,the daggers

and the armour,

Lying in the dungeons of your body and spirit,

Sometimes a vague contour, or a mirage you may reckon,

But truly ,the shadows that walk with you,

Good and bad,

Their zest never dying,

Eager to be hauled and unfurled . 

You have a choice,

To let them .

For if u spring ,

Like every soldier in this battle ,

Your torso shall lie numb underneath.

But the shield shall glisten ,boundless and beyond …….

 

Reviews

[M P Ramesh]

keerthy,
The painful art of sketching the inner areas of an emotion is meticulously done in the above. It is a rare flame and reader gets a chance of his memorising the familiar image and be relieved from the agony with the joy of satisfaction.
Good attempt
carry on.........


M P Ramesh

[Karmee]

Another long read here,
but you know what I loved it.
Awesome imagery & details!
Keep up the wonderful writing.