[tarotwolf]

A hundred women, maybe more,
Stood gathered there upon the shore
Sons and husbands off to war
Fathers, brothers too

And as they wait they weave a tune
An offering to their Goddess Moon
If she would grant but this one boon
To bring their loved ones home

Goddess sings “I hear your cries
But 'ere this war is over
I must ask three more to die
Tho I leave ye to choose”

With broken heart and tear filled eyes
They mourned and wailed until sunrise
But none could bear to break the ties
That bind the ones they love

Until upon the sacred stone
Three women: Maiden Mother Crone
Stood and let their names be known
And made their sacrifice

“My father is an honest man”
“My husband is the butcher”
“My son he works the vintner's land”
All good men are they

But if by breathing their last breath
To serve Her sacred purpose
They spare even one from death
Then so mote it be

And in a far and war-torn land
A captain summons his command
“I need three men to make a stand
And guard the folk below”

“I am a man who tells no lies”
“And I have slaughtered cow and swine”
“While I have pulled grape from the vine”
But soldiers now are we.

As they took their spear and shield
And marched into the village
And took their place upon the field
Their minds and hearts were home

They thought of daughter, wife and mum
They thought of warmth and love at home
They thought of things yet left undone
They knew their time had come

But mourned not for the life they'd leave
To spare these people from the grief
Of tyrant, killer, despot, thief
Then so mote it be

Tales are told throughout the land
In palace and in village
Of three brave men with steady hand
That turned the tide of war

Still waiting there upon the shore
Same hundred women, maybe more,
Welcome their men back from war
Except those sacred three

Who questioned not the will of Moon
Ne'er tampered with creation's loom
Wept only in their silent room
Knowing all was well

Then came the Goddess to their dreams
To offer them Her solace
“All is never as it seems
My sisters ye shall be”

And took them each into her place
To see again their loved ones
And gave them each a Heaven's face
For all the world to see

And now with their ascension earned
We see each face within its turn
And feel within us passions burn
As in days of old

So when the Gods ask sacrifice
Even if we much think twice
Remember they are ever wise
And then so mote it be

[dearest]

Really, very well done! I love the offset italicized stanzas, as well as the dual perspectives of the soldiers and the women. Rhyme and flow was outstanding for the most part, and the repetition also worked extremely well for you. Brilliant!

[Gurdit]

Call it coinjcidence... my media player is on Shuffle, and it played Maiden's "Paschendale" when I started reading this poem.

I am struggling slightly to find a deeper meaning to this than meets the eye... who are these 3 sacrifices? Do we know them?

Anyway, the poem, and your narrative is really quite well done.
There were a couple of flaws that I noticed, but then again, I wouldn't call myself a poet, really, so I don't know what you might make of these:

Fathers brothers too

I'd put something between between Fathers and brothers.

Same hundred women maybe more

Perhaps a comma after women

[tarotwolf]

Originally Posted by tidruG

Call it coinjcidence... my media player is on Shuffle, and it played Maiden's "Paschendale" when I started reading this poem.

I am struggling slightly to find a deeper meaning to this than meets the eye... who are these 3 sacrifices? Do we know them?

Thanks for taking a read through it, I can see what you mean about the punctuations.

As for the three sacrifices, it was the three woman allowing Goddess to take their men, the father the butcher and the vintner. I'm still not 100% excited about the actual title but it'll have to do for now.

As for a deeper meaning, well that's yours to discover. Good hunting

Thanks again for reading my humble attempt at poetry.

[DarkPower]

Very well done. I have been reading though poems almost all evening, looking for something to inspire me to write or comment and alas I have found it. Thank you. I agree with what was said before, the use of the different points of view truly adds to the feeling and story of the poem.

[RENA HANDS]

INCREDIBLE! I’m sorry that I missed this write earlier.

My eyes are wide; mouth dropped open and my heart is light.

This is truly a SPLENDID post. I rate 5/5!