An Iron Rose
It moves as one across the red sands
Its heart—a drum—o'er broken lands
Hammering life from rock and heather
A metal beast of pike and leather
It glistens and moans in the dawn light
The skulls of wolves baying for a fight
Sigiled talons snatched by morning breeze
One final foe left, to bend the knees
The white keep stands firm, poised for the fray
But like a pincer, ensnaring its prey
The beast looms up, curling its wings
A white sword, in a garden of sins
The host unfolds like an iron rose
Thorns gleaming to the chanting of crows
It locks its horns against chiselled plate
Twisting and lashing the armoured gate
The white keep growls back, spraying the night
Piercing the beast; its wrath alight
A thousand shards of defiance
That could not split that dark alliance
For the beast did break that lone white sword
Stars waned as a moat of blood was poured
And many who once drew breath were dead
As the sands grew a darker shade of red
