Demon's Revenge

We have a double feature today. After posting earlier today (see post below) I got to thinking. I mentioned that at one time I was a bit into poetry. One of the things that makes me a bit leery of poetry is the fact that so much of it is produced by average people in the throes of passionate lust. As such, much of it is trite and cliché. Don't get me wrong, there is some really great love poetry out there, and I've written my fair share of trite cliché. Well, what follows is a non-love poem that I wrote several years ago. I'm pretty proud of it. The rhythm is kind of variable throughout, but I feel that the rhymes are solid and that the story is pretty good.


A moment of darkness clouds the room
As drums beat out the rhythm of doom
A moment of silence ensues in the place
And a bright light shines on every face
Quite suddenly, a loud voice booms
And suspense rises and terror blooms
Steel-clad opponents step into the ring
Their eyes begin to stare, their weapons to sing
Beads of sweat shine throughout the room
And the feeling of terror begins to loom
The gong sounds and weapons fly
Muscles clench and hot air blows by
Nervous hands grip crumpled tickets
And heavy betting quickly empties pockets
A flash of silver, a flash of red
A clearing of dust shows one lying dead
A gasp, a sigh, a shout of joy
A cry from the mother of the boy
"He was mine! My only one!
Oh, they’ve killed him, my only son!"
"I’ve won! I’ve won!" shouts one man
And money passes from hand to hand
"Have you no hearts?" the mother cries
"My son, he lives, he fights, he dies!"
"Shut up, old hag!" the crowd echoes
And murmurs of, "It’s the law! She knows!"

Her son was chosen, he fought, he died
And for a moment, his mother cried
But now she runs into the ring
Holds her son and begins to sing
A song to bring him to another world
Thankful he'll not see her fury unfurled
She turns and faces the killer of her son
She says to him, "He was my only one"
Her tone is low, her voice is calm
Her eyes are closed, her will is strong
He looks her up, he looks her down
His lips curl into a terrible frown
He yells to her, "You know not what you do!
If you defy me, I’ll kill you too!"
She walks to him, from her soul she spits
He raises his arm and her face he hits
She falls to her knees, tasting blood in her mouth
As black and red clouds gather to the south
"A curse on you!" she says, red on her lips
The clouds roll in as she sinks to her hips
He looks around and sees the fiery sky
Then runs her through and watches her die
His lips curl in triumph, his big arms cross
But the crowd does not cheer him; they seem at a loss
He looks and snarls and shouts, "What is wrong?!"
And a low, dull murmur seeps out from the throng
The skies churn and seem almost to boil
Smoke pours out from the gray, damp soil
A figure large and imposing forms
And the clouds sink low, as if heavy with storms
The figure with a voice deep and loud
Calls out to the frightened crowd
"The woman was right, you mortal fools,
But now here she lies while her blood pools
And in her arms, her only son
Killed, not just by this man, but by everyone!"
As the voice booms, the crowd grows stiff
Frozen in fear, their gaze does not drift
"And now, like her blood, a curse fresh on her lips
I swear to you all, you’ll all pay for this!"
The clouds burst forth a rain of pure fire
And it sweeps through the crowd as if it were briar
And the people, they burn, like the money they won
All this for the mother, and her only son
"And now for you," the loud voice booms
And the man trembles at what terror looms
"Let me begin to say what I’ll do
I daresay it will sound quite unpleasant to you"
The large figure ponders, planning his worst
"Ah! I know! Here’s what I’ll do first:
I’ll tear off each finger, as retribution demands
Pull apart every knuckle with my own bare hands
I’ll bore through your skull, drill holes in your head
But not to your brain, I don’t yet want you dead
I’ll sew shut your eyes and then pull them open
Ripping your eyelids, the skin will be broken
I’ll curl your feet backward to roll to your knees
My, are you all right? You’re starting to wheeze!
As I was saying, I’ll rip off your nose
And then I’ll clip off your ears, I suppose
Then, after I remove your lips and your tongue,
I’ll knock out your teeth and then I’ll be done
What say you? What think you? Does it sound like enough?
Perhaps I should make this punishment tough"
As the beast ponders, the man says not a word
But turns and impales himself on his sword