Damned

A man awaiting the gallows

"...when death slumbers...
... it dreams of you"
An accusation whispered
From a dying man's bed
Morpheus it's rumored
Shares his wisdom with the dead

'Twas colder than the weather
Inside his gaol keep
But no colder than a
Murderous heart
Tossed on the winds
Of restless sleep

Outside his cell
The ravens squawked
Atrabilious ghouls
In feuding flocks
Perched among the hangman's stocks
Awaiting his demise

"Today I'll feel the burn"
Said he
(rubbing three stones thoughtfully)
.."ah to have this coldness
quelled in me"...

Then taking aim
With gelid eyes
He felled three corbies
With three tries
But soon amid the corvine's cries
He'd face his fate alone

For upon his corpse
The rest would sup and
Strip the flesh
From un-protesting
Bone

"...when death slumbers...
... it dreams of you"
(dying words a man once uttered)
The moment now was coming soon
"To Abbadon" he muttered

With the hangman's rope
Around his throat...
...amid the beating of the drums
His thoughts lingered on the dead man's quote
And not to be out done

He cried out with his final breath
"When I sleep I dream of death!

Author's Note

Abbadon means "hell"

Reviews

[MomzillaNC]

Congratulations on winning with your poem in Historical Fiction

[felioness]

Wow! I am honoured!

[MomzillaNC]

IKWYM. I was surprised that my poem, "Ra'qedyet" placed second -- especially as I played rather fast a loose with the "fiction" part of Historical Fiction. I read the fiction as the history we've all been spoon fed for over two millennia about Alexander "The Great." The poem was actually as factual as I could make it.

I honestly didn't expect to make the cut when I read the competition. Did you read Rick Puetter's epic?

[Glen Yumang Manese]

This has a sense of the picture --yet conveys much in the lines as one waits for death...--- a last longing feel as I read this one --- gives much for us as the audience as each stanza plays out --- the verdict is known --- but the feeling of the moment gets to you...---and the start to the finish lingers just as death should --- knowing one is about to meet death itself....

[Sami Khalil]

I agree with the other reviewers. I like the lines:
when death slumbers
it dreams of you...
Nice write.

[felioness]

Thank you so much!

[Sami Khalil]

My pleasure.

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

A dark poem with excellent flow and imagery!

He cried out with his final breath
"When I sleep I dream of death!"

Love thay ending BRAVO!!

[Dream Weaver]

Deliciously dark with trepidation nuances!
Very nice….

[Su' Nacnetaf]

Amazing writing and an even better ending as I see it, at first glance I thought it was a bit large for a poem, and by the time I reached the ending I wished it had been longer. Excellent writing indeed, I like your style.

[FocusedAmnesia]

Nice read. The words flowed, like they were just waiting for you to put them together.

[Isaac Ian III]

I really like this poem, I like how each little section has an unusual rhyme to it, yet each section doesn't have the same rhyme scheme as the last.