The Sword I'd Never Used Before

By Debayani Sengupta

Some time has passed since I have been

A soldier, new on the battlefield,

How to strike I've yet to learn

I take the hits but never yield.

I stand behind as enemies charge

And watch the frontmen swing their steel,

My armour is all crooked and scarred

Hiding wounds that are yet to heal.

My guard is none but a rusted shield

Worn away and sheer which grows,

My sword has never been unsheathed

Too dense and heavy to uphold.

Grabbing the hilt with a trembling hand

I try to lift it, but in vain,

It's weight my frail arm can't withstand

And my valour leaves me yet again.

I hear the horn blaze through the sky

And watch the soldiers brace themselves,

The soil that soaks up all the gore

I feel it quake beneath my legs.

I stare ahead and see our foes

Perplexed and unprepared I stand,

They shoot arrows unceasingly

And storm ahead with bows in hand.

Arrows that pierce through my skin

Lend fresh wounds while the old ones bleed,

They sting like blames I'm innocent of

And all the undone heroic deeds.

With abrupt strength I raise my steel

The steel that had been cased too long

Blind with rage, I lunge at them,

Determined to avenge the wrong.

I swing the blade with all my force

The blade I once was scared to hold,

The weight of which once held me down

Now high up in the air it soared!

I drop to the ground as if I am

A fallen warrior on his knees

And even though my hands are red,

Victorious I am indeed.

Been standing strong for way too long

But there's so much one can endure,

My sword lies here, now stained with blood

The sword I'd never used before.

By Debayani Sengupta