By Zack Stephens
The summer’s sweltering heat cast a nauseating spell upon my soul,
I resisted the sensation, for I was a Spartan,
Audacious, robust and superior,
The road to Thermopylae couldn’t bear the inferior,
Despite my small stature,
No attacker could capture,
An audacious, robust and superior Spartan,
For I had proven my might to endure such a conflict,
The Persians marched like pitiful soldiers,
Their nerves tingling at the sight of my irresistible smoulder,
I smirked and chirped,
For I was an audacious, robust and superior Spartan,
The scorching sulphur springs encircled the narrow pass,
Amidst clouds of fear,
For I, a Spartan and my fellow compeers held a spear,
Indicating our yearning to obliterate the frontier,
Their leader, King Xerxes I, inept and alarmed,
Couldn’t hold the pass and disarm,
The audacious, robust and superior Spartans,
I smirked and chirped,
Traitor, Traitor, Traitor,
A corrupt Greek from Trachis revealed an alternate route to the Persians,
For he must be condemned, slaughtered and butchered,
For Sparta has been betrayed,
We were ambushed,
Slayed like hopeless Helots,
For I, an audacious, robust and superior Spartan,
Couldn’t bear defeat,
My comrades retreated in fear of persecution,
For I, an audacious, robust and superior Spartan,
Continued ahead to conquer the foe,
For I will extinguish the Persian shadow,
All hope is lost,
I couldn’t bear the onslaught of Persian forces,
For I, an audacious, robust and superior Spartan,
Lay dead.