polished to mirror finish,
now tarnished and green
with algae, moss, water, age.

most loathesome hero,
the knight in full plate
is dual-wielding shields.

crouching, crawling, crumbling–
from the weight of it all,
and sinks deeper into the bog.

camouflage from ally, even
the birds and mice cannot find
our miserable bulwark beetle.