The Worshipful Cult of the Mercenary

Never overestimate
A truly professional,
Elite military class.

Remember the Immortals
Who failed at Thermopylae?
Recall the fall of the Han.

Caesar’s Equistres helped him
Elevate himself, divine
To his assassination.

The enslaved mercenary
Mamluks who came to power
Over the nations they served

And left them vulnerable,
The Swiss Guard that atrophied
On anachronistic pikes.

Every leader wants a guard,
And the people love elites
When they glow in uniforms,

But no one is protected
By gratitude for service
To the mercenary gods.