Defeat

No clarion call now,
No booming guns surround
A quiet fading
As dusk dissolving into night,
Blazing sunset but a distant dream;
Whispers of defeat abound.
Glory of valiant battle denied,
Yet courage to endure
More glorious than this deathless death.
A smiling skeleton
Bare of flesh and blood;
No pain, nor grief, nor ecstasy,
Everlasting vigil
For Fate's unknown hand,
Like ash-covered ember
Waiting to blaze or perish, without regret.