Passage Prize Passed Overs
My entries for the Passage Prize poetry section. They didn't place but they had hundreds of entries which is very encouraging for us. Hope you like them.
The Road of Kings
First step on the road of kings
Young, bold spirit given wings
Cursed swords slash and old gods fall
Soulless wizards held in thrall
Loathsome serpents, dark designs
Eldritch spells with words that blind
All die before his sword
As he comes to rule the horde
Each step on the road of kings
He wants so many things
The day will come when he has it all
He’ll hear The Black River’s call
Next step on the road of kings
Dragons, demons, darker things
Blood flows, he takes the crown
Old orders crashing down
Brothers fight, unite the land
Nations cease at his command
Then one day the swords are still
There is no one left to kill
Each step on the road of kings
He lost so many things
The day comes when he has it all
He hears The Black River’s call
Last step on the road of kings
Feuding neighbours, petty things
Feasting, fucking, counting tithes
Peaceful sleep, untroubled skies
Women weep as his crown falls
As he heeds the river’s call
Ten sons rise to take the crown
While his kingdom tumbles down
Banners fly and armies form
His legacy to one and all
First step on the road of kings
They want so many things
One day when they have it all
They’ll heed The Black River’s call
Fire at Will
Caught in the horns
As the sandbag walls fall
Their bayonets fixed and ready
The warriors swarm
To reclaim their home
The redcoats must hold steady
The hilltops and fields
Lined with spears and with shields
As the burnt grass lies unhallowed
They’ll be leaving their bones
far away from their homes
But orders must be followed
Hell on the burning Savannah
Brave hearts beating faster
The next rank fires
As soldiers tire
The whites of dead eyes
Are buzzing with flies
As the body piles grow higher
Once more they clash
They are just driven back
The barracks are on fire
Breathe as they regroup
Ammunitions recouped
But the waves they barely falter
Outflanked they retreat
In the blood and the heat
Into the last perimeter
Their wills are not bent
By the songs of intent
Of victory and slaughter
Their charge shakes the ground
As the next volley sounds
Their captain does not falter
A Hundred yards from their flanks
“Commence firing by ranks!”
“Front rank, fire!”
“Rear rank, fire!”
“Fire!”
“Fire!”
“Fire at will!”
On the Road to Carcassonne
Pope Innocent declares crusade
Pious knights take up the blade
In Lugdunum the army gathers
Soldiers paid to fight the Cathars
On the road to Carcassonne
Kill them all, God knows his own
On the road to Carcassonne
Die mothers, brothers, fathers, sons
Ten thousand chevaliers
Pitch their camp beneath Béziers
Orders from the high legate
Avert the worst, negotiate
Give up the Cathars bound in chains
Submit to the Lord’s true reign
Turncoat bishop leaves the town
But the Cathars won’t back down
On the road to Carcassonne
Kill them all, God knows his own
On the road to Carcassonne
Die mothers, brothers, fathers, sons
Armed civilians sortie town
Their viscount won’t let them down
But on the banks of The Orb River
Overwhelmed, their courage withers
The gates are stormed, all without orders
Crusader knights soon join the slaughter
Overwhelm the garrison
Commanded by the Vatican
Routiers rampage through the streets
Plunder, killing all they meet
Those who run to the cathedral
Find their hiding place deceitful
The oaken doors are broken
Their sanctuary thrown open
The cowering wives and daughters
Are not spared from the slaughter
On the road to Carcassonne
Kill them all, God knows his own
On the road to Carcassonne
Die mothers, brothers, fathers, sons
The city falls to marauding bands
Terror spreads throughout the land
The northern barons take their plunder
Cathars with no hope, surrender
Now in chains, perfecti wait
With faithful souls who share their fate
The devout burn with the impious
Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius