The mighty bear strikes out with tooth and claw
To rend the flesh away from bloody bone
Yet softly does it lick the bear cub’s paw
When sated it returns back to its home.
Likewise the snarling wolf will lead its pack
To leap upon the unsuspecting sheep
All so that it may bring a morsel back
To where its hungry pups lay fast asleep.
A soldier’s sword is forged to go to war
And shed the crimson blood of those it smites
But death is not the purpose at its core
And war is not the warrior’s delight.
The blade defends the lives and honor of
Our kinsfolk and the people that we love.
This is an English sonnet written for the winner of the Rose Tourney at Lusty Month of May, Caius Aurelius. It was presented on May 15, 2010.