The Shadowed Path of Vengeance
My purpose now lies darkened, clouded in grief's shroud
Where once stood family, companions, now only crowds
Of strangers pass by, offering platitudes in vain
As inside, a raging tempest continues its reign
Love once anchored my soul to life's fleeting shore
But those tethers now severed, I'm drifting once more
Adrift on a sea with no lighthouse beam
To guide through the turmoil of memories' dream
Honor was my compass, duty was my call
But what purpose in living if loved ones fall?
The future seems featureless, the past but a blur
As rage and revenge become motivators deter
Still I carry on breathing, though part of me died
When cruel blades stole their lives, leaving me flayed inside
Justice may come in battle as enemies are brought low
But will such victories fill the chasms of my woe?
Questions persist without answer, a Sisyphysian plight
As through each coming nightmare I renew my fight
To findResolution's haven and make wrongs finally right
Or release in death's sweet slumber my anguished soul's blight
The path forward remains shrouded, its destinations uncharted
All maps now confounded, each landmark departed
Only this path of shadows gives direction to tread
As I seek the justice owed for family murdered and dead.
The blade that stole my loved ones still thirsts for blood replete
As through these long dark nights I find no rest, no sleep
Memories haunt like ghostly wraiths emanating pain
Each face once beloved now mocks in my waking refrain
Duty calls me to carry on though inside all is bleak
Honor bids me still fight though vengeance may not heal what is leaked
From cracks in my armor, from wounds in my soul's core
That weep tears of acid, of torment, and more
Yet in battle there's purpose, a focus through carnage I find
To lose myself in the violence and leave griefs far behind
Each fallen foe slakes vengeance' thirst, if only a drop
As toward some greater destiny my footsteps do not stop
What waits at journeys end I cannot yet see
But still I must march on to whatever may be
led Through moonless night and daylight's cruel glow
I walk this lonely path with only vengeance to show
Questions have no answers when loved ones are lost
This journey has no end, its journey no cost is too high
As long as one breath remains I will still seek and destroy
To avenge their memories 'til justice is satisfied
The future holds mysteries, what fate may befall
I face whatever awaits without fear, without gall
For whatever end finds me, I will meet unafraid
Having honored my duty, my promise been paid
This is the road I have chosen to walk in the dark
Until light comes, or enemies fall, or Death leaves his mark
On this weary warrior still fighting, still seeking his due
For a wife and son murdered, in all that they were.
The shadows grow ever darker as vengeance consumes my heart
Rage and hatred now rule me, all else has fallen apart
Where once dwelled honor, compassion, now only a thirst for the kill
Revenge has transformed me, I've become what I feared and I thrill
To inflict the same anguish, the same agony deep
That stole all that mattered, that robbed me of sleep
An eye for an eye, a soul for a soul
As I'll see them all burning in vengeance's cold coal
But whispers inside question this blood-soaked crusade
Where ends the revenge and where vengeance is paid?
When all lie defeated, when retribution is through
What then remains but more emptiness, grief to ensue?
Is vengeance the answer or just rage given form?
Will spilled crimson oceans assuage sorrow's bleak storm?
If in death I find closure, in carnage, release...
Then why does this void continue to call out increase?
I've traded my humanity, compassion cast out
Replaced now by hatred, by violence and rout
Where will this path lead me if not kept in check?
Into shadow or light, I cannot project
So I'll wage this dark war for as long as I stand
And pray that when over, I'll understand
The purpose of loss, and the meaning of tears
That through paying my debts, some redemption appears
For now in the tempest I've only revenge for guide
As shadows surround me, whatever may betide
I'll walk this blade's edge till debts are repaid
And hope that in peace their memory may stay.
About this poem
This poem explores a speaker's journey into darkness after experiencing a profound loss. Having lost his wife and son, the speaker is overcome with grief and a thirst for vengeance against those responsible. He describes how revenge increasingly consumes him, clouding his judgment and transforming him into the very thing he once feared. The speaker questions if vengeance will truly ease his anguish or only breed more emptiness. It provides a tragic portrait of how the desire for retaliation can corrupt one's humanity and pull one into an endless cycle of violence, hatred and shadow. more »
Written on April 14, 2014
Submitted by Mawphniang.Napoleon on September 29, 2023
- 4:14 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXAA BBCC DDEE FFGG HHHH XXII XJAA XXBB KKLL MMGG XXXF DDNN OOPE QQRR JJSS NNPP TTUU VVXX WWXX FFNX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 4,371 |
Words | 827 |
Stanzas | 20 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Shadowed Path of Vengeance" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/169831/the-shadowed-path-of-vengeance>.
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