Tis the End

The sun was rising
To begin the new day
But it had a dark feel
Death was following too

He stood proud and tall
Watching the rays of light
Filter through the dark
Somehow he senses the future

Today he would fight the
Last and final battle and
It would not end well for him
But he had accepted his fate

He gathered his men
Readied them for battle
Hoping that they'd live
Through the gruesomeness

Fate was against them
They fought valiantly
But Evil was much stronger
Death found almost everyone

He had survived the fight
Just barely hanging to life
They brought a priest to him
For his last rites and confession

He thought about his life
And all that he had seen
Everything he's been through
And the things he regretted

He saw the love of few
The hatred of many
The gaiety of court life
The hardship of manor life

He saw through people's souls
And the emotions they hid
The buried secret ambitions
The wishful dreams of power

He turned his thoughts to
His life and what had occured
Believing that he had accomplished
Almost everything he had wished to

There were the memories
Of the many battles fought
Gathering the spoils of war
Celebrating all the victories

But inside he felt empty
Even in spite of his achievements
Realizing that he missed
Something important in life

He didn't have much time
Left in his mortal life
And that's when he figured out
What he was missing

It the future of his soul
The looming of the after life
Would there be one for the
Might knight in shining armor?

He had to ponder the condition
Of his spiritual life
Did he have enough to say
He could go to heaven and be content?

It bothered him, deep inside
So he prayed long and hard
Repenting of the sins he'd commited
As well as the deaths he'd caused

So in the end, the priest
Could truthfully say to those
Who wished to know about
The legendary knight's death

That he had been repentant
Of the horror he had caused
And the suffering of the families
Who had lost someone dear

He wished that he could change
Everything that he had done
But he wanted to be remembered
For the good things he did

On his tombstone, it was written:
Here lies the legendary knight
Who did not wish death upon others
But had to follow the wishes of others
A model of bravery and loyalty
He will be forever honored here
Rest in peace