Bold King Leonidas and his band of brave men,
Marched forth to meet their fate at Thermopylae's glen.
The Persian army, vast and fierce,
Hailed arrows down with deadly pierce.
But Leonidas stood tall and firm,
A Spartan king with a heart that burned.
He fought with might and with great skill,
And led his men with iron will.
Their shields held strong against the foe,
As they struck back with a mighty blow.
For three long days they held the line,
Against the odds, they fought divine.
Though outnumbered and outmatched,
The Spartans fought with valour unmatched.
Their bravery and sacrifice,
Became a legend that would never die.
Spartan's courageous men standing,
Shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield.
Immortal warriors of the past
With King Leonidas by their side
A hero born for this day.
As proclaimed by the gods.
With their shields burning fiercely
with flames of fire.
Reaching out to embrace the enemy,
And their weapons honed on blood and bones.
From eternal battles,
hardening their hearts to stone.
Tempering their souls into cold steel.
Grinding their heels deeply into the ground.
Relentlessly united in defending their cultural ideals.
Or to die and be carried back to Sparta upon their shields
Spartans courageous men standing,
Shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield.
Immortal warriors of the past
With King Leonidas by their side
A hero born for this day.
As proclaimed by the gods.
With their shields burning fiercely with flames of fire.
Reaching out to embrace the enemy,
And their weapons honed on blood and bones.
From eternal battles, hardening their hearts to stone.
Tempering their souls into cold steel.
Grinding their heels deeply into the ground.
Relentlessly united in defending their cultural ideals.
Or to die and be carried back to Sparta upon their shields. I demand a critic.
Blame not the gale, or the inhospitable sea-gulf, or friends’ tardiness,
mariner! Just man’s foolhardiness.
—Leonidas of Tarentum, translation by Michael R. Burch
He might as well be Xerxes
The most dominant in history
Towering twelve feet taller than his foes
The Spartans take position
But one of them is missing
Where Leonidas is it seems nobody knows
Though an improbable season
Spartans are all but beaten
When Xerxes comes the battle's good as won
A secret plan is brewing
That will be Persia's undoing
A mighty blow they'll not recover from
Emerging from his hiding
Battered but still fighting
Leonidas finally steps up to the plate
They stare down each other
The boldest boys of summer
A rivalry placed in the hands of fate
Leonidas takes a beating
On this October evening
It won't be good enough to reach a draw
But our hero is relentless
He swings for the fences
Now no one can believe what they just saw
March 31, 2017
Chocolate Indulgences (20150129)
If I really had no choice but to divulge,
In mountains of chocolate I would indulge.
I'm not just taking about Snickers,
Reese's peanut butter cups, Butterfingers,
Or other grocery store sweeties.
I'm talking about the expensive stuff, most from oversea:
Fruit and nut bars from British Cadbury,
Milk molasses chips from local Mrs. See's,
Fudge Easter Eggs from domestic Helen Grace,
Belgian praline Sea Shells from Leonidas,
Belgian Cote D'Or bouche pralines,
And from Germany's Ritter Sport--EVERYTHING!
Wallowing in glorious chocolate, I'd be so pathetic,
If not for the fact, that I'm a diabetic.
What the Spartans of
each country need is
their own legendary
hero Leonidas.
Volodymyr Knyr
2014
Thermopylae, Thermopylae
King Leonidas at
Thermopylae
Eyes like the Aegean Sea,
Burn with a passion for life.
Like underwater volcanoes that erupt and make the sea rage.
Poseidon striking the sea floor.
With the intensity for experience,
Like the fire that smolders deep within your essence;
As if Hephaestus, God of Fire placed this potency within your heart.
Raven tresses frame the noble gentleman
Traveling along his journey like a silent Spartan: King Leonidas.
With Themis and Dike protecting him in battle; guiding his sword and shield.
Appointing him to be the leader of justice for mankind.
Like the regal Lion that sits upon his golden throne high in the Heavens for all to
see. Forever etched in the memories of men: so are you--endless;
Sitting with Hercules on Mount Olympus.
Celestial orbs safeguard the one whose utterances are as vast as the
mountainous landscape.
And whose songs are as boundless as the sea itself.