Amorphous avatars of an angry elemental god,
The clouds make unruly war upon their ancient enemy below --
Casting their weapons of raging light
As frequently at and among each other
As at the bastions of their enemy's body...

Suddenly, the dark bodies of the clouds burst
Unleashing the teeming legions of rain --
Vast armies falling in ferocious assaults
Try to drown the enemy in the oceans
Formed from their innumerable broken bodies...

But Earth is far too old and wily a general
To be overcome by such unsubtle means --
The besieged fortress merely absorbs the legions,
Accepting them as prisoners into its body
For use in the subsequent growth
Of new battle decorations, worn
To further enrage the jealous Sky...

The battle seems a draw between opposing forces,
Until a new attack from an unexpected quarter --
From above a lone hero hurls lances
Through the bodies of the encircling clouds --
Thundering their fury and shame,
The diminished avatars give way
Before the fiery chariot of the Sun...

In a slow but deliberate attack,
The glorious hero scatters the shreds
Of the avatars from the field of battle --
Giving the embattled Earth a welcome respite
From the onslaught of Sky's armies...

In the calm wake of the battle,
The wily general and the triumphant hero
Celebrate another victory together,
And begin laying plans for the next
Inevitable battle in this eternal war.

© 1994, Aaron Brown