crankyoldman | I: Thelonius II, Black Pawn

The whole thing! I just had a few stanzas to add.

Tall and built like a lance he stands
First time on the front line
There is no shame in being a Pawn
Grandfather, Thelonius I, had told him.

Now Thelonlius II has answered the family call
The pride in his heart
Quells the shaking in his knees
There is honor in the first line of defense.

Pike in hand, he marches with the sons and daughters
Peasant-folk of sturdy character
Laid down their plows and their trowels
To sharpen axes instead.

"First time on the line?"
The old timer speaks with metal in his eyes
And rust in his voice. Thelonius II stands straighter,
Making himself even taller.

"But not the last," the brave words of youth.
The old timer lets the the boy stand
Waiting for the horn to sound shrill tones
As the enemy approaches.

The Army of White; the dust on the field
The Army of White makes fire in their hands
The Army of White; the air is so thick

He keeps them at a distance, his weapon
A shield so he can't see their eyes
The young Black Pawns are falling;
Grandfather never told him it was like this.

"Steady ahead!" from the back
"Keep watch for the Knights!" from the front
But Thelonius II chants of honor to himself
Lest he run back home at the first chance

Do only; don't think
He lets the pike guide him, never wincing
When it connects. White robes flutter
before they settle on the dusty ground.

"Fall back, fall BACK!" but he keeps moving forward
A Pawn is a Pawn to the end of the field
Thelonius II remembers long white hair
Before he realizes he's fallen and all is dark

The Army of Black; the dirt on the pavement
The Army of Black makes machines with their hands
The Army of Black; the smoke is so thick

He wakes with a leg of metal, and rust in his lungs
The old timer over his shoulder.
"Did I make it?" he asks, for he's the second Thelonius
And a Pawn's honor is surviving.

"The Knight cut you down, you're lucky to breathe."
The doctor's instruments look strange
His leg of metal is as sharp as his pike
And it creaks at the knee.

They pin something to his chest as he lays
It is small and bright again his hand
Half listens while they tell him that
He is a Pawn no longer.