Back Then

Several years back, I was given a chance.
To organize teams with a different touch. Attitudes and schedule, it was really tough.

Varying strength, skills and abilities.
Different gender, beliefs and maturity.
Volatile member, time and emergencies.

Receiving requirements, requests and stories
Planning objectives, sprints and activities
Helping members, friends and strangers.

Solve their problems, propagate the emblem.
Every boss is a puzzle, different hats I need to juggle.
Every person is a mystery. Scoreboard is the summary.

Complete this, finish that, accomplish those.
Stop this, continue that, start those.
Learn this, gather that, memorize those.

Religiously I document moves, sharing hints, exposing truths.
Fear on the left, courage on the right.
Confused frontliners, comfortable back.

What is the challenge? When it will cast? Where it will hit? How big is the impact?
How many affected? Aren't we dead yet?

Mix and match, are they on a fight?
Bible and spears, shield and staff.
Prayers of healing, loud battlecry.

Building alliance and friendly wars..
Crafting rules, banishing fools.
Hording tomes, enhancing tools.

They said it was just a "game"...
I stopped them and said...

A game of teamwork and complex strategy.
Building organization, executing negotiations.
Focused coordination, meaningful conversations.

Respect on power, death to deserter.
Prove your value to be a member.
No ifs no buts but be a challenger.

Relationships are built. Without any guilt.
Brotherhood is forged, here and abroad.
Mentorship's a need, Leadership a default.

We got wounds and lost some lives.
We despair, we cried while we ate french fries.
Then we stood up and came back, victors full-time.

I lived those lives from a different land.
No fear of judgement because of height.
Focused on the dream and worked as a team.

Following my orders with varying degree.
There were brothers, even moms.
And there were fathers with their sons.

Not from school nor my college life.
I acquired these knowledge, baptism by fire.
Experience is the teacher. They thought I lied.

They say its a waste, they didn't get my taste.
Supports are trash. They were always bashed.
Weak and fragile? Meek and agile!

Blessings to the shaman who told me im valid.
Honor from the wingkin whose leadership is valid.
Glory to the cleric, for lifting teams he really did.

Some may question if these are fiction.
All I can say is "it happened back then".
Seriously, when I was eleven.