They say that the dragons are dead

No more knights are needed to chop of the heads of the beasts

That terrify the village. But I say they are wrong

We will always have dragons

And we will always need heroes to sing of in the winter

The fights are different

The battles change

There is technology. Who needs a knight in the age of tanks and missiles?

But the men and women who wield it for us are there.

There has to be a chest to wear the breast plate,

There has to be a brain to guide and

There will always be underdogs

Warriors who fight.

They are not just found on the battlefields.

These soldiers aren’t just strong young warriors

These soldiers are young, old, brave, and bold

And the battles they fight are small

Sometimes it is just the battle of rising each morning with hope in your heart.

Or standing after you have been felled ten times- long after sane men would leave the field

It is fighting pain while smiling at a friend and not letting her see your pain

No one would ever know I am such a person

Some may notice due to my ever faithful friend, my war dog.

But most have no clue the battles fought with pain

Yes, the physicians and wise men and women may be the generals

But we are the ones who fight.

Every day I look for just one thing in the battle- the will to go on

The will to fight, the will to win, the will to smile, the will to not fall here

I fight for life.

Sometimes it is small and far away

But on other days, I glimpse it

And I know that one day

I will stand on the far shore.

I will receive the sword from the enemy

And I will give the sword to God I hope to hear the words we all long to hear

“Well done, good and faithful servant. Come sit with me and rest and live, my child.”