The night was cold…

The mercury had risen beyond measure,
The mood was deafeningly sombre.
The war had played out in many battles,
The enemy was thwarted, but only grew in number.

For days, the scuffle had raged on,
With pain and losses across the lines.
A thousand would begin with a shrill war cry,
But left in the end, were mere whines.

They came in all shapes and sizes,
But today they were together for a cause.
This skirmish had lasted almost a day,
When, all of a sudden, there was a pause.

A dust storm had begun to rage,
Not a thing that their ranks would wish.
They’d held enough for reinforcements to reach,
It was time, they knew, to prey or perish.

Their numbers were small but, fearlessly,
Rode the few hundred.
The merciless enemy smiled wryly,
And just as they closed in, his guns thundered.

Backward they fell, the valiant warriors,
Having dutifully played their part.
As one huge mass they were blown away,
Their souls in another world did depart.

As their fallen mass fell apart like slime,
A kerchief came out just in time.