A Shogun and a Camelot Knight

Author: Stephen W. Cote

A Shogun and a Camelot Knight

Met in mailed metal bright

A misty, cloudy, foggy night

In words the Shogun found strange

In twisted tongues of ancient age

They bid each other peaceful passage

Two strangers in a stranger's land

Armed with swords and forked tongues in hand

Wiped blood and battle from their blades

And agreed they had fought enough that day

For a thousand peasants the Shogun had slain

And a thousand Japanese the Knight had maimed

There simply wasn't time to fight

Now that they had killed every second they'd lived for

Somewhere with the dead their families lay

Their gods had not damned them

Or saved them, or even said

"Let someone live for tomorrow"

A Shogun and a Camelot Knight

With rusty swords and limping steeds

Sheathed their blades and waved goodbye

With no tears to cry

And no one to return to

And no one left to say "I love you"