Warrior

He was beloved,
Strong and brave,  
Among them  
He was considered the greatest,  
But on that day of battle,  
He gave his life,  
Leaving it on a foreign field.  
So they fought with anger,  
With sorrow and with rage.  
After the enemy had been vanquished,  
And the wounded had been carried away,  
After the smoke had cleared,  
They placed their helmets on the ground  
And in the midst of them, at the center,  
They laid his helmet down.  
All stood in a circle  
Arms around shoulders intertwined,  
Woven they stood together  
Staring at his helmet among theirs  
And they remembered him with tears.  
There was no joy in their victory  
For it's cost was too high.  
They could not  
resurrect the dead.  
All they wanted now  
Was to return home  
And to forget.