In pity, danger lies.
I sense a weakening resolve,
yet recognise the foolishness of pride.
It was once the cause of my demise.
I sense a weakening resolve,
find the notion of the kill distasteful.
It was once the cause of my demise
when, seeing him, all I felt was scorn.
I find the notion of the kill distasteful,
balk at the thought of letting blood.
When seeing him, all I felt was scorn.
How he showed me I was wrong.
I balk at the thought of letting blood –
I’m above such atavistic sport.
How he showed me I was wrong,
he and his duplicitous love.
I’m above such atavistic sport.
The judge will honour my fairplay.
He and his duplicitous love –
they’ll burn in hell on judgement day.
The judge will honour my fairplay
or does idealism have no grounds?
They’ll burn in hell on judgement day
for he will see that I am sound.
Such idealism has no grounds –
he who dares, the winner in this world.
Will he see that I am sound,
or will I bleed from wounds incurred?
He who dares, the winner in this world,
does not care for moral rectitude.
I will bleed from wounds incurred,
stabbed in the back that’s turned away.
He does not care for moral rectitude,
stabs the back that’s turned away.
I recognise the foolishness of pride –
in pity, danger lies.
Tagged: danger, hubris, moral stance, pity, Poetry, pride, scorn, the fight, writing
vivid imagery,
you really try to wear the shoes of them, well done.
Thank you
Great stuff Lindsay! This is a new verse form for me – beautifully done.
Thanks Freddie! Hope OZ is fab xxx
It is beyond fab, I can assure you
A really well done pantoum. I believe you may have taught me something. I’ve never really thought the pantoum form was good for telling a story. Its inner structure with the number of repetitions required has always seemed ill suited for tale telling, and then Lindsay Waller-Wilkinson up and writes one that is a story told with complex emotions that chill off the page. I guess one of these days, after I finish my current dragon epic project, I’ll have to try this. I can’t tell you how good a job I think you’ve done here. It’s really really well done.
Thanks Thomas. I wanted to write a pantoum for a while. but I couldn’t find a way in. When the first stanza of this poem came I knew this was the one to try.