The Tempest

An old favorite

An island there was, full of laughter, love-

I, the star pupil in this teeming school of life,

Living like life should be lived, as his wife-

And then, dark fell, mighty terror from above.

 

Shaking limbs, furious hail, blazing light:

The tempest stole my soul and left a shell,

Carrying my core into a solitary hell-

Without a sun, there can only be night.

 

Carrion, I am, no gleam left in these eyes;

No aura-shine surrounds me anymore at all.

Hollow voiced, no laughter left within to fall

Again from these lips, turned blue and white.

 

This was no act of God, though penance for sin,

What rended me a sallow bag of bones and bile.

The masses' echoing cries surrounded me awhile;

Strewn about: limbs, and organs, and fair fair skin.

 

The night of the storm, all beauty was damned-

The hurricane a sharpened scythe, reaping men,

Left the detritus of little histories without, and in

Heaving its last breath, it killed all but the sand...

 

And, supposedly, me.


 

Reviews

[Dane Osborne]

An excellent piece and as the reviewer below said, the imagery is dark yet beautiful. Impressive use of abba ryhme schem BTW Ryhmes can be irritating if used the wrong way but yet in this case it has a natural flow. Well done.

[Poetic Beauty]

This is full of dark yet beautifully imagery. Life can be cruel and hard leaving only a shell of the former person at times. Love this story for it is one most can relate too.