The Game They Played

Beneath the weight of stars, they stood,
Young hearts forged in fire, misunderstood.
Children thrust into a war not their own,
In the void of space, their strength was shown.

Ender, the boy with a mind so sharp,
A leader born, though the path was dark.
Trained in tactics, in strategy’s art,
Yet it was his resilience that set him apart.

Image: a graphic depiction of the Buggers’ home world.

Bean, small and quick, with a will to survive,
Petra, fierce and bold, who kept hope alive.
Alai, with loyalty as steady as stone,
Each child a beacon, though they stood alone.

The Battle Room, a dance of light and grace,
Where young minds soared, defying time and space.
Zero gravity, yet anchored by will,
They fought not for glory, but to fulfill.

Image: a graphic depiction of life in Battle School.

Mock battles, simulations, a game they were told,
But the stakes were real, the truth untold.
For in their hands lay the fate of mankind,
A burden too heavy, yet they didn’t mind.

They bent but never broke, though the pressure grew,
Their spirits unyielding, their courage true.
For in the face of fear, they found their way,
Through sacrifice, through loss, through the darkest day.

Image: a graphic depiction of how the final battle at the Buggers’ home world looked.

They bent but never broke, though the pressure grew,
Their spirits unyielding, their courage true.
For in the face of fear, they found their way,
Through sacrifice, through loss, through the darkest day.

Oh, the resilience of youth, so fierce, so bright,
A flame that burns through the coldest night.
In Ender’s Game, their legacy stands,
A testament to the strength in young hands.

Image: fight school simulator

And then, the Hive Queen, her truth revealed,
A voice of sorrow, a wound unhealed.
Ender, the destroyer, now the redeemer,
Carried her cocoon, her hope, her dreamer.

For in her, he saw a kindred pain,
A life misunderstood, a war in vain.
Together, they sought a path to mend,
A bridge of peace, where all could transcend.

So let us remember, when the world feels grim,
The power of children, the light within.
For in their resilience, we find our own,
A spark of hope, a seed newly sown.

Image: Ender with Hive Queen