The Vow, They Trudge, Last Times

The Vow

He must no longer be nor ever have been
Who challenged the Gods with his infernal sin
To raise up the Beast from the dark depths of Hell
To set the Beast free from its ancient locked cell.
With powers arcane, and with spells most unclean,
From books and from scrolls that were best left unseen.
Now he must die, and his memory erased
The Beast be rebound, in its cell be replaced.
To do this we must, and our vow we must keep
So with order restored, the world can then sleep.

Author’s Comments

I was reading the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft, specifically “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.” One of Ward’s ancestors practiced necromancy and the local townspeople not only killed the sorcerer, they also did their best to destroy all memory of the evil man. That got me thinking, and the results were The Vow.

They Trudge

Onward they trudge.
Tall and gaunt to the point of starvation, they trudge.
Ever onward they trudge
through the narrow Ice Caverns of Karst.
Onward to the Silent Monastery at the end of time.
They trudge…

Author’s Comments

Although I typically write traditional poetry that rhymes, I occasionally write free verse when the Muse moves me. For example, They Trudge actually came to me in a dream in which I was wondering who the figures were and where they were going.

Last Times

I hate last times. I loathe them… and fear them.
The very concept fills me with dread and foreboding.
The words speak of such inevitable, unavoidable finality.

Last walk in the woods. Last walk along the sea shore. Last walk. Last step.
Last sunny day and last rainy night. Last thunderstorm. Last sunrise and sunset.
Last meal with friends and family. Last meal. Last bite and last drink.
Last time making love. Last warm embrace. Last kiss.
Last time I say and hear the words “I love you.”
Last day. Last hour. Last minute. Last second.

Oh yes, I hate last times and my ever approaching death.
We cannot avoid last times. Even when we don’t recognize them, they come and go.
There will be no appeal. No last minute pardon.
No commutation, for the sentence must be carried out.
Last breath. Last heartbeat. Last sight. Last sound. Last…