Valiant defenders of the West
Stopping Xerxes at Thermopylae
But it’s not where your brave bodies lie
Tales of your most consequential quest
With us to this day, the Spartans said
On your shield, or with it, so you must
Strike to kill and win, with every thrust
Victory is yours, or you are dead
Were your bodies burned, or carried home
Ashes scattered in Elysian fields
Where your spirits proudly still roam
Sparta will forever bear your shields
Author notes: for my 300th poem, an attempt to capture the famous story of The 300
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