Embracing Defeat

My sweat & blood trickle into my mouth,

The salty-iron taste awakens my bloodlust,

All of my adversaries manoeuvres, I flout,

His armor is impenetrable, no tell-tale signs of rust;

He is bigger, but I am faster,

Our feral dalliance has gone on for long,

But this is the endgame, one final jouster,

An epic battle it has been, worthy of a song;

Stroke for stroke we meet each other,

The flurry of blows, causes sparks to erupt,

The end is near, apparent by our torn leather,

Both of us are slowing, fatigued by holding our swords up;

His formidable shield cracks, under my thousandth stroke,

He grunts in pain, as his shield-arm is fractured,

In retaliation he slashes, from me, blood he evokes;

There is a gash in my armor, my body ruptured;

My vision blurs, due to loss of blood,

My foe falters in pain, as he prepares his last stance,

One last time, I get up, to face my death, beckoning like a flood,

I embrace a warrior's death, as I am impaled, still holding my lance...