I was a person once
Who had dreams and made mistakes
But the roaring maw of war devours
And takes, and takes, and takes.

Left upon a battlefield
My body began to rot
And attract the love of carrion
Who stripped me down to naught

Eons passed, the world still spun
Nature overtook the field
All of me it left behind
Was shining bone and steel

I settled in to darkness
My bed of dirt and grass
My body rested peacefully
With fellows all en masse

One day my rest was taken
As people came to view
The casualties of hungry war
Brought forth for their purview

The first one who discovered me
Decided I was man.
But another called me woman too
So the bickering began.

The sword and shield at my side
Showed I was part of fighting
“This proves a man lay at our feet!”
The first droned on, reciting.

The second pointed at my bones
Said my hips are far too wide
“This person bore a child once.”
The second one replied.

The argument continued on
Neither side would concede
Who knew that my brittle bones
Would lead to such misread.

Why does it matter oh so much
If man or woman was I?
All was left was tired bones
And a shield by my side.

They wouldn’t know who I was then
Or really how I died
They would never know my name
Or the leader we defied

They wouldn’t know that both were right
Woman born was I
But I took the mantle of a man
And so a man I died

Stephanie Luevano-Powell (she/her) fell in love with stories as soon as she learned how to read at five years old, and has never stopped bringing them to life in as many ways as possible. She loves books, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends every weekend. In addition to reading, writing, and narrating, she loves to craft and spend time with her wife, Megan, and their two cats, Castiel and Jarlaxle, who bring joy and inspiration to her life.