The horsemen ride out
A great shire for each knight,
Lance levelled for the charge
Reins shaken as hooves bite.
A race to combat's collision
Leaving riderless mounts
Of the fallen intermingled
As with screams and shouts
The survivors draw swords
And with mixed fear and rage
Come face to face
To fiercely engage.
For no apparent reason
One side wins the field
As the remnants in disarray
Are forced to yield.
The foot soldier hacks
And cuts stabs thrusts
Maybe driven onward
By a victor's blood lust
Forward to overrun
And harry as charging feet
Trample dead and wounded
To complete the defeat.
So few hours since dawn
Yet with an enemy overrun
A battle has been lost,
A campaign won
