[Malthaussen]

Best I can do for you:

"Soldier On"

I am a battle-scarred Warrior of Life.
Too often have I striven against the foes
Of indifference, stupidity, and hate.

On a hundred different battlefields I stand,
And the dust swirls about my feet
As I bear forth the banners of Truth, and Light, and Righteousness.

Don't I look stupid standing there?

Shoulders bowed, blood on my brow,
I would weep if I could stop laughing.
I pose while I emote, and while emoting look silly.

Life's battles have not worn me down:
If I am crushed, I have crushed myself.
No one is interested in my surrender.

Defeat is a word used by losers,
And loss only comes from within.
Shoulders can be squared, a back straightened,
And a broken heart pieced together
With only a crack or two to show the memory
Of another round in the war of Life.

(Copyright 2001, Eric M. Hammer. All rights reserved)

I would add that humor is probably the best reason for hope -- even if dark or ironical. If I can laugh, I must breathe; if I breath, I yet live, and where there is life, there is hope.

-- Mal