Another Epitaph On An Army Of Mercenaries (In Reply To A.E. Housman) Poem by Gert Strydom

In the days when heaven shook
and Lucifer an angel of light,
took a third
of once holy ones with him
in a mercenary calling, made darkness his own,
when he tried to become equal to the creator God

that army of mercenaries fought
against Michael and his host
and lost, falling in defeat
and Michael and his host ended the rebellion,
had it suspended

and the mercenaries paid the price for their deceit,
(if any of them died they did deserved it)
and they fell like comets from the sky
and burning, aflame to this planet they came
which is still revolving as it did then

and here their leader entrapped man
with a cunning elusive plan
trying to take this world
into destruction with him

but as a mortal God walked this earth,
paid the price instead of man
to make the demon’s work undone
and still man has a choice
to where his affections lie

and in spite of the presence of mercenaries here
elements of love, sincerity, truth and grace
still abounds in the heart of men
who honour the almighty God.


[References: Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries by A.E. Housman and Another Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries by Hugh Macdiarmid in reply to A.E. Housman.]