thirteen warriors
the battle scarred shogun chose
pledge dedication
oaths of loyalty—
the thirteen professed each one
ride to meet their fate
on the battleground
the daimyo taunts the thirteen
our heroes clasp swords
the afternoon sun
baked the blood spilled in Edo
battle cries still ring
the clash of steel from
darkened plain quiets—as the
shogun flouts his lord
the lord confronted—
strikes with aimed ferocity
the shogun repels
blow for blow the lord
persists but the shogun stands
and wont relinquish
the righteous eyes of
the shogun meets the anger
playing in the lord's
as the thirteen watch
their shogun locked in struggle
the final blow slips
the daimyo then falls
to screams of the thirteen—the
shogun cleans his blade