40k-Inspired Poetry

[Lathe Biosas]

I've been inspired by Warhammer 40k to write Elegies, Haiku, Odes and Tanka (A Japanese form consisting of five lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5-7-7).

 

Feel free to comment. I love feedback, concerns, criticisms, or different topics to write about.

 

HAIKU (40k):

 

In the grim darkness,

Stars burn with forgotten wars,

Hope is but a dream. 

 

 

HAIKU (Mechanicus):

 

Cogs turn, souls ascend

Omnissiah's sacred code

Machine heart beats strong

 

 

TANKA (Imperial Navy):

 

Stars gleam with dread light,

Voidships sail through endless night,

Engines roar with might,

Guardians of the Empire,

In the name of duty, soar.

 

 

 

ELEGY FOR CADIA:

 

In the shadow of the Eye, where hope once stood tall,

Cadia, proud bastion, now echoes your fall.

Once your spires reached high, kissed by the stars,

Now silence reigns where the battle left scars.

 

The drums of war thundered, a relentless tide,

As the forces of Chaos surged, their fury untried.

Brave souls stood defiant, with faith as their shield,

Yet the darkness encroached, and the light was repealed.

 

O Cadia, your warriors, steadfast and true,

Fought for the Imperium, for me and for you.

With bolters a-blazing, they faced down the night,

But the stars wept for you, extinguished your light.

 

The ground shook with fury, the skies turned to ash,

As the gates of your fortress fell in a crash.

Yet in every fallen, a legacy grows,

In the hearts of the living, your spirit still glows.

 

So we mourn for your glory, for the lives that were lost,

For the dreams that were shattered, and the terrible cost.

Though the galaxy darkens, and hope seems to fade,

In the memory of Cadia, a new dawn is made.

 

 

 

ODE TO THE SPACE WOLVES: BRAVERY AT THE BURNING OF PROSPERO

 

 

O mighty Wolves of Fenris, fierce and bold,

In shadows deep where ancient tales are told,

With hearts ablaze and spirits wild and free,

You charged the fray, a tempest on the sea.

 

When Prospero burned, the skies ignited bright,

The echoes of your howls pierced through the night.

In unity with Custodes, proud and grand,

You forged a bond, a stalwart, iron hand.

 

The Thousand Sons, with eyes of burning gold,

Beheld your might, their fates in terror rolled.

In awe they stood, as legends came to life,

Before your wrath, the harbingers of strife.

 

“Behold,” they whispered, “the Wolves of ancient lore,

A force unmatched, a tempest we abhor.

With every strike, the very stars do quake,

In their fierce charge, the galaxy shall break.”

 

Your valor shone like silver in the dark,

Each warrior a beacon, each heart a spark.

With fangs and claws, you tore through sorcery,

A primal force, a living tapestry.

 

O Space Wolves, in battle’s fierce embrace,

You carved your names upon the void’s cold face.

In honor bound, your legacy shall rise,

A testament beneath the endless skies.

 

So let the bards sing of your glorious fight,

Of how you turned the day from dark to light.

For in the annals of the stars, it’s clear,

The Wolves of Fenris shall forever steer.

 

In awe, the Thousand Sons shall ever know,

No might compares to the Wolves’ fierce glow.

In every howl, in every clash of steel,

Your bravery, eternal, shall reveal.

 

 

I'll post more, if you're interested.

[Graceless]

Rare to see poetry on the Forum. Please post more if you have it, I enjoyed what you wrote.

[Lathe Biosas]

I'm glad you enjoyed it... I was unsure if it would go over well on the forum.

 

I'll post some more this weekend. 

[kabaakaba]

Some how if you put you space wolfs ode  on power/extreme metal melody it's turn amazing song with 6th quatrain as chorus every 2 quatrain. 

Don't forget add 7-10 minutes solo with wolfs howling in background. Absolutely love this ode.

[Lathe Biosas]

HAIKU  (Deathwatch)

 

Xenos foes beware,

Deathwatch warriors stand guard,

Unyielding, unbound.

 

 

 

HAIKU (Black Templars)

 

Crusading knights charge,

Zealous faith, righteous fury,

Black Templars prevail.

 

 

 

HAIKU (Sisters of Battle)

 

Bolter's holy fire

Sisters' fervent hearts ablaze

Faith in every shot

 

 

 

HAIKU (Adeptus Titanicus)

 

Legion's mighty stride

God-machines shake the earth

Thunder in their wake

 

 

 

HAIKU (Orks)

 

WAAAGH in the void

Guns and choppas, loud delight

Ork boyz never yield

 

 

 

HAIKU (Ultramarines)

 

Ultramarine might,

Disciplined, courageous, true,

Defenders of man.

 

 

 

HAIKU (Imperial Knights)

 

Noble steeds of old

Laser lances shine brightly

Honor's heavy tread

 

 

 

ODE TO THE ADEPTUS CUSTODES 

 

In the golden halls of Terra,

where shadows whisper of ancient wars,

the Adeptus Custodes stand,

sentinels of the Emperor’s will,

clad in armor that gleams like the sun,

each step a thunderous echo of duty.

 

Born of the gene,

crafted in the fires of the Astronomican,

they are the guardians of the sacred throne,

a living testament to the Emperor’s might,

their eyes, like twin stars,

piercing the veil of time and treachery.

 

Silent as the void,

they move with purpose,

each breath a prayer,

each heartbeat a vow,

to protect, to serve,

to be the bulwark against the encroaching dark.

 

In the depths of the Imperial Palace,

where history is etched in blood and sacrifice,

they stand watch,

unwavering, unyielding,

the last line of defense

against the chaos that seeks to consume.

 

With spears of gold and shields of faith,

they march into the fray,

a storm of righteous fury,

for they are not mere soldiers,

but the embodiment of the Emperor’s wrath,

the light that pierces the night.

 

And when the galaxy trembles,

when the stars themselves seem to weep,

the Adeptus Custodes rise,

a beacon of hope,

a reminder that even in the darkest hour,

the Emperor’s will shall prevail.

[ThePenitentOne]

I love this!

 

We used to do Renga chains... So it's like a tanka (same syllabic pattern), but multiple writers- so one starts 5/7/5, another adds 7/7 and then you either go to a new writer or pass it back for another 5/7/5 and so on until the story is told.

 

But it never occurred to me that you could use a Renga to batrep a game. Thanks for posting this!