In the Heart of the Beast

I

It all started with a look

A little time and then a smile

You were my heart

My every breath and my soul

And had I ever turned away

It was not from you

But from the deformed feelings

That hide within my soul

I loved you, my dear Gina

Loved as I never would again

And though many came

And many could not claim your heart

I managed to see behind your masque

And know the real you

But I was not alone

There was another

Another who would come

To paint a dark picture of me

 

II

Bitter enemies we were

The two that you loved most

On the outside

His soul was kind and gentle

While mine was scarred with darkness

I could not create the illusion

Or hide my inner demons

Behind a façade

Tell me why, my dear Gina

You frolicked in his sunlight

And loved him by the light of day

But held tight to my body

As you faced my inner darkness

Through the long shadowed nights

I loved you with all of my heart

As no other could

But no one ever finds love

In the heart of a beast

 

III

In the end two remained

And there could be only one

But I knew your feelings

I knew your heart

And even if my mind

Had not already been decided

I still would have taken a life

The life I knew you would least miss

Forgive me, my dear Gina

For the darkness that floods my soul

I knew you could not love him

I knew you couldn't

So I let him die

Spilling his life's blood on my blade

This is my last request

That you forgive me of my misdeeds

For my soul can not rest

Until it finds forgiveness

 

IV

Darkness engulfed me

But you could not be found

So I waited

Hidden amongst the shadows

And when your tears did fall

They were not for me

So again my soul took flight

But Heaven offered no comfort for me there

I tried, my dear Gina

To make the sacrifice you desired

To learn to live without you

While you loved only him

Death took my hand

But still I could not be free

My soul rests with you

As does my love and my heart

I sacrificed my life for you

To pay for the debts of my sin

And for your happiness

 

V

Now I leave you

For my story ends here

With the blade clutched in my hand

The blade that pierced my heart

And somewhere above

I hear angels sing

While a chorus of demons

Can be heard below

I'm afraid, my dear Gina

That I made the wrong choice

That you did love me above all

But now I will never know

For the darkness has settled

And I am alone

As I should have been all along

Hidden from the light of day

And chained in the shadows

Where I remember being all of my life

 

Reviews

[Song of Mercy]

That was AWESOME! So dark merely shadows of light to bring forth the light. The speaker is grandiose which i think fits perfectly with the theme of his pain scarring even his appearance. If not grand, then not at all. His total overreachtion to a fear turned psychosis took all the love and drained it away. an interseting note. Even in death he thought she loved him, when really he never knew.

Great write...
PS, I am using my pen name now, Song.

[Melissa Kesead]

I love the story that unfolds. It is a classic tale of love gone awry and a battle for the girl. Wonderful!

[FoolsGold23]

This poem had me close to tears, no joke! The heart of the beast, *sigh* there is a darkness in us all, the most honest of folk acknowlege it and do their best to overcome it and live to the best of their ability. They tend to live wholesome lives, whilst others fake it and become all the more a vicious beast for ignoring their faults. It's those with seemingly perfect lives that harbour the darkest secrets I've found.

This poem was both heart rending and chilling, such a sacrifice the speaker makes, It reminded me of the recurring theme of self-sacrifice in "Cyrano De Bergerac" for Roxanne! I felt like I was in the prescence of a classic as I read this. Masterful work!

[S.J.Floreen]

I don't think I've ever read a poem written in parts such as this before. It has such an easily followed story, and yet is written with quite a poetic flare to it. It's beautifully done, although the tale it tells is not the happiest of endings.