THE BATTLETECH SERIES

This series of poems was written in 1999 for the role playing game--BATTLETECH which remains
popular to this day. It was quite a challenge for me but the results were of a positive nature in that various "Clans" around the Internet use their particular poems from the series which I penned. I trust BATTLETECH continues in a strong fashion and I want to thank those websites which have credited me with writing the poems they needed after all these years!


BLOOD SPIRIT
Though blood is thicker than water
And water is weaker than wine,
Can ice become any hotter?
Can spirit be stronger than brine?
Headlong into battle we reel,
With neither worry nor a care.
What fear of death can I truly feel
With my brother beside me there?
Onward--onward--onward we go, with fire in our eyes;
Triumph lies before us with victory as the prize!


BURROCK
Beneath damp sod and old, cold stone,
We plumb the depths without a groan!
Giving no thought to gems in the earth,
We seek a prize of far greater worth!
We crave for battle--salivate dread acid;
What foe dare slumber or stand truly placid?
In daylight and darkness, in sunshine and gloom,
We bring to each foe his ultimate doom.
Our justice is strict and our sentence is stern;
Acid will flow and all enemies will burn!


CLOUD COBRA
We twist and turn upon the sky,
Concealed in clouds which boil on high.
Clenched fists below will surely wilt,
When our fangs pierce flesh to the hilt!
And on the ground you'll squirm and writhe,
As we reapers reap with whirring scythes!
And when the last foe no longer stands,
Woe unto the living left in those lands!
Trust not clouds which flash and thunder;
Bewitching clouds make men blunder.


COYOTE
Leaving barren desert sands we roam,
Forsaking all that we once called home.
Quietly there between darkness and light,
We'll confront our foes at the edge of night!
Confused--bewildered, they'll cry out for help.
But no one will hear a single moan or yelp!
Though of the desert, we desert not our brothers;
What shame and cowardice before all the others!
Into our jowls the enemy will fall:
What fate awaits him with no one to call?

DIAMOND SHARK
We rule a sea with neither beginning nor end,
With borders uncharted and no one to defend!
Jewels we are and kings among fish--
The dream of every wretched worm's wish!
Sleek and deadly warriors we are,
We hunt the foe by the light of his star.
And when at last we move in for the kill,
Our enemies' blood will begin to spill!
And minds turned to fire will harden our cause;
Pity to those who are clenched in our jaws!


FIRE MANDRILL
From deepest jungle night we near--
And startled foes shudder with fear!
How we frighten and how we inspire;
We rage as an all-consuming fire!
Though enemies we have all around,
In battles to come, we'll truly astound!
Certain triumph will doubtless spur us on--
And our vaunted foes will be dead and gone...
Any survivors may retreat to relate,
The terrible ordeal and their dreadful fate!


GHOST BEAR
Amidst the storm's fury we Ghost Bears hasten,
Great warriors poised to purge and to chasten!
Foes--beware! Conserve your strength,
Lest we hunt you down at length!
Like a phantom blizzard, we'll arise and loom;
Gnashing jaws and slashing claws will seal your doom!
The enemy will fall and take his last breath--
United as one, we'll fight to the death!
Our families and kin--these things we cherish;
Threaten them not or you will perish!


GOLIATH SCORPION

Poised we are and ready to strike,
Armored with mail and armed with spike!
We await the battle with calmness of breath--
Brave warriors prepared to fight to the death!
Valiant we are--fearing no one and no thing;
Our venom you'll taste--feel the deadly sting!
We cringe not in shadows; hot sun is our delight.
We await the battle and the glorious fight!
Enemies? No--fools! Mere pebbles--not stones!
In disgrace you'll return to your wretched homes.


HELL'S HORSES

From the pit of flame and ash we emerge,
Galloping forth to slaughter and purge!
With eyes ablaze and minds afire,
We forsee the vanquished upon the pyre!
The stillness is shattered by our thundering hooves;
Even hardened earth trembles--O, see how it moves!
Ever forward, forward--onward we go;
Our undaunted spirits will conquer the foe!
And after the battle, we'll proudly stand 'round,
While hapless enemies lie dead on the ground.


ICE HELLION

From fire and ice--from the pit we rise,
Playful there beneath cloudless skies.
Impish court jesters though we seem to be,
Take not for granted our inborn devilry!
For amidst the laughter and wagging tongue,
You'll howl no longer when your hearts are stung!
And he who laughs will surely laugh last;
Your fate is sealed--and the die has been cast!
And we alone will gloat at this end-game;
Invited we were--and gladly we came!


JADE FALCON

We ply blue skies with flashing eyes--
Look up all foes and watch us soar!
And when you hear our piercing cries,
Know that death has come to your door!
Huddle in the shadows and tremble with fear;
Your day of reckoning is so very near!
See us descend in brilliant sunlight?
Emeralds--all, so deadly in flight!
And battle though you surely will, your defeat is not in doubt;
Your weak resistance spurs us on--hear our victorious shout!


MONGOOSE

Leaving warming eastern climes, we prowl--
Seeking our enemies with hateful scowl!
Sleek and lean--we will never tire,
As we heap dead foes upon the bier!
We hunger for battle and thirst for war;
What awful carnage and hideous gore!
Stricken and dazed, wounded foes will fall,
While we alone remain upright and tall.
Our stomachs are empty and our throats are dry;
Conquest is certain and the victory is nigh!


NOVA CAT
Though black shadows come on stealthy wings,
We fear not the things which darkness brings!
Eyes we have to pierce deepest night;
Eyes we have which grant Inner Sight!
Battles to come are but ours to see;
Visions guide us to sure victory!
Enemies court defeat--O, what wicked gall!
Their fates are sealed as they stagger and fall!
Woe unto all foes--you can never win;
Retreat to your homelands with bloodied skin!


SMOKE JAGUAR
(In the manner of William Blake's "The Tyger")

Smoke Jaguar! Smoke Jaguar! sitting tight,
Poised to pounce in dim moonlight;
What grim mother gave you birth?
What the terror on the earth?

On what distant hill or plain
Do you roam in sun or rain?
What sends you forth from your dark cave
To stalk the forests of the brave?

And what evil, wicked heart
Gave you life from the start?
What grim vision did she fire?
What the feast upon the pyre?

What the magic? what the wand?
What the chanting 'round the pond?
What the potion? what dread claws?
Maimed foes crumple in your jaws!

Smoke Jaguar! Smoke Jaguar! sitting tight,
On a hill in pale moonlight;
What grim womb upon this earth
Dared conceive and give you birth?


SNOW RAVEN
From the limits of cold and snow we come,
Beautiful to many yet frightful to some.
The sound of our wings churns the still air;
Rousing our foes to fight if they dare!
Talons we have to rip and to shred--
And beaks like swords to slay the foe dead.
Beware one, beware all...ruffle not our feathers,
Lest in anger we rise and loosen our tethers!
A flock? No--a horde! A whirlwind of wings!
What terrible vengeance the darkened sky brings!


STAR ADDER
Silent, unseen, we slither among stars,
Warriors all--who bear many scars!
Battles we've fought and battles we've won--
What glory beneath an alien sun!
Forward we go and steadily, slink;
The stars gaze down and quietly, wink.
Foes nodding and sleeping, not giving a care,
Will rue the fate that awaits them there!
And when the battle is over and won,
We'll bask in the warmth of the rising sun.


STEEL VIPER
Unseen, we crawl in the depths of night,
Glinting metal by dim moonlight.
Dread swords we are which writhe and coil--
Woe unto those pierced with our foil!
On plains, in forests and on desert sand,
We patiently wait and make our bold stand!
Let our foes come and let us wage war;
The enemy will fight and fight no more.


WIDOWMAKER
In mist and moonlight, we weave and spin,
Awaiting the battle with vicious grin!
Enemies we seek and those who may dare,
To challenge us warriors with enticing snare!
Our glistening webs of delicate thread,
Will smother our foes until they are dead!
And any surviving miserable wretch,
Will taste of our poison--a potion so vetch!
With the wanton slaughter of so many lives,
What mourning children and grim, grieving wives!


WOLF
Beneath the full moon, we stand and howl;
What solemn ritual before the prowl!
Across time and space, we hunt and roam,
Leaving behind--Arcadia, our home.
Our foes are our prey and we welcome the chance,
To use stealth and cunning, in this warriors' dance!
Encircled they'll be and there they'll lie,
Battered and bloodied, waiting to die.
And after the carnage and terrible fight,
We'll retreat to merge with the darkness of night!


WOLVERINE
Forsaking rich forest, we soon will arrive,
To battle our foes until none will survive!
Vicious, hardened warriors we are;
Beneath thick furs lie many a scar!
Beware our caged rage and merciless fury--
All foes stand damned before this cold jury!
Our rending teeth and sharpened claws,
Will silence our foes' useless cause.
We impatiently await the furious attack;
Grim silence will follow with foes draped in black!