Battle royale

In the lightless, deep caverns within the earth,
Far below the happy chirping of birds and gentle swinging of leaves,
Hidden from the sun's warm rays and the sight of other men,
Is a battle royale.

2 enemies,
One of light, one of darkness,
Yet the other was once of the light.

A titanic struggle consuming all attention and energy.
Fought alone and unaided, as despair and exhaustion assails.
Tears blur the eye and fatigue weighs the appendages.
Holding the line, just barely.
As the shadow of victory tantalizes,
suddenly your feet gives way and you are falling through the air.
Down, down, down,
still the scorched sword swings and the flaming arms grapple.
Neither side giving an inch or conceding a blow.

Into the unknown depths beyond man's reach,
and up the highest mountains doeth the battle rage.
A timeless tussle with no end in sight.
Hopelessness chokes.
Loneliness strangles.

At the very end,
Expending his residual strength, the final blow is struck,
and the enemy rolls down the snow-covered rocks, lifeless.
But he too lies broken on the white cliff-side,
As one last breath escapes his mouth.

Knowing the Limits

In a war, the captain of a ship needs to know when enough is enough.
When resources are utterly drained,
manpower exhausted,
reserves completely used up,
reinforcements unavailable,
and ever-shrinking room to maneuver;
when the odds are stacked hopelessly against you;
when continued conflict only delays the inevitable
. . . then the time has come.