Anthem of the Death Singers

I can taste their fear,
And smell the anticipation of battle.
My troops rustle and rumble behind me.
The enemy before trembles and quakes
My Lady Death will soon gather new sojourners into her cold embrace.

The song has begun
Played many times before, it is still new
New voices, from those wide eyed in the wonder of it
Mix with the old harmonies of the Veterans
Grimly remembering the strains of the songs sung past.

Glorious and Gory the heat of conflagration
Sweeps like wildfire across the heavens
Patterns of control in the midst of carnage unleashed
Push those who oppose us
Like flotsam on the waves.

Another stanza is written: in blood and sweat and tears
Reaching a new frenzy, the crescendo of voices rises
Over the thrumming throb of the machines of war
Lacking perfection, the song is sung better, and will be better yet
Still again, seeking graven restfulness at last.