Guardian

Half of my brain: "It's one in the morning! We should go to bed!" The other half of my brain: "MUST... WRITE... POEM!!!!"

Awake,

The guardian stands

Above the forms of innocence,

Bathed in moonlight

Or the tremulous glow

Of a final candle’s breath.

 

Flames and stars reflected

In the mirrored depths of eyes

That have seen eternity,

The darkened windows

To a shuttered heart.

 

Now gazing on the softened face

Of one who slumbers soundly,

Witness to

Elusive vulnerability

And touching humanness.

 

The weight of worlds is swept away

In the gentle tide of sleep,

All masks removed

To reveal the face of a child,

Defiant in the light of day,

But now awash in peace.

 

Silently the guardian watches

The light-footed dance of the shadows

Across his charge’s cheeks,

Within the hollows of weary eyes

And upon the slender lips that commanded

His presence to remain

Until the shroud of sleep be drawn

Over fearful mind.

 

The one who staves off loneliness

Now watches in solitude,

Alone, as he has been

For uncounted years,

Left to wonder

If an inaccessible heart

Can indeed be touched

By innocence.

 

And in the moment of crisis,

The angel of death approaching with inescapable fury,

The guardian flies

To offer himself as sacrifice,

His wings outlined for but a moment

Before the illusion is shattered.

And kneeling there,

Saved and savior brought suddenly face to face,

The eyes of proud, immovable heart

Gazing down into the windows of a broken child’s soul,

Who can say what tiny, voiceless flame

Is brought to life deep inside?

And who can tell why the guardian

Would dare to die for this?

 

None can name these feelings,

Not even one who has endured eternity

Devoid of true compassion.

For in the shadows of the night,

When child’s voice cries out in silent prayer

To the steadfast one who listens,

Not even the guardian knows

What passions

May

Awake.

Author's Note

Heavily character-inspired, and... yeah.

Reviews

[GalaxyGhost]

Beautiful! this poem is very much like JRR Tolkien's work and I just finished reading all of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books last year. I'm also a big fan of JRR tolkien's work even if I've read only the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit books. so I look forward to reading more of your writings as it is very much like his writing and that is awesome!

[Dynafox]

The hobbit was one book lol

[Dynafox]

I'm sorry. I'm being rude

[AliciaB]

You have literally made my day by saying that this is like Tolkien's work. Thank you so much!

[GalaxyGhost]

You're welcome!

[idiotproof--1]

this poem is beautiful. I really enjoyed reading it.

[AliciaB]

Thank you very much!

[Dynafox]

nice words. seems deep but it's over my head. Sounds like something about religion.

[AliciaB]

Thanks! It wasn't inspired by anything particularly religious, but you know... always open to interpretation! :)

[LastMonth]

Gorgeous.
And somewhat sad.

The guardian gives everything. When the angel of death comes, he never hesitates, he walks over to him and suggest -himself- as the sacrafice. What a noble thing to do. Or is it..?
Sometimes when my mood turned sour, I had this dark little fantasy of dying in a war. I dreamt of falling in battle. It would fix everything. Every error I have ever made, it would just be undone. Right..? I'd be hailed a hero. My misgivings, my flaws. None of it would matter.

All my fears for the future..? My concerns..? Irrelevent. I'll be that Guardian. Immortal. Perfect.
But that's just my messed up thoughts. Hahaha-- This story, poem.. Writing of yours. It's quite touching.

Keep up the good work.

[AliciaB]

Thank you very much! It's funny that you bring up those "sour" thoughts, because this poem is actually inspired by a pretty villainous character. Not sure if you're familiar with the anime Black Butler, but if not... the main character is a twelve (and later thirteen) year old boy named Ciel who has made a covenant with a demon named Sebastian for Sebastian to serve him as his butler (hence the name) and, yes, guardian until they find and destroy the people who killed Ciel's parents, at which point Sebastian will eat Ciel's soul. There are many moments at which it seems Sebastian is expressing true compassion, or even guardian-like love, for Ciel, and yet there's always this thought in the back of your mind that he's really just evil and self-serving and is only doing what he does because he wants Ciel's soul. But is that really all there is to it...? So, yes, you have hit very near the mark on this one. :) Thanks again!

[LastMonth]

Awesome.
Never heard of that anime, I didn't get to really watch alot of those, but nice to hear.

[Centipedle]

And in the end all he wanted was his soul xD That's how I see it at least. Love the poetry.

[AliciaB]

Haha well, at least that's all it was in the beginning. :) Thanks for reading!

[Crimson_ish]

I love this dark-drama so much, it gives an idea towards unselfish love, such a pondering wonderful read! Absolutely love it! I love the atmosphere you create, I love your intricate thought process!

[AliciaB]

Thank you so much!

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

Nice work!

Silently the guardian watches
The light-footed dance of the shadows. - amazing line!

[AliciaB]

Thank you so much!

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

You're most welcome!

[Emily]

Love the first stanza!
Keep on writing!

[AliciaB]

Thank you!