It's been a long while. Some new pieces, though I had a dry spell that lasted several years. Hope you like the story in this trilogy of poems. It ties to
the stories in my other work as well, the pieces where the Dark Man and the Elven Queen are the main characters.
Feedback would be much appreciated.
Lady of the Shadows (February 27th, 2008)
The lady walking down the street,
Silk and jewels hidden by a cloak,
No guards to see the men that stalk,
The beauty on an errand discreet...
She stops, then turns down an alley dark
After brief hesitation in the twilight;
A shortcut, so tempting, to not be late;
Thugs swiftly race to catch their mark...
Forced to face them as they knew she must,
Shining hair, pretty face and eyes dark,
Bedecked with gold and gems, a man's dream,
Alone and helpless, she arouses baser lust...
A tumble of silky locks, a fall of amber gold,
Frame an angel's face, her defiant gaze;
Such a prize to have, loot silver and flesh,
Who would think her touch such deathly cold?
Blinded by lust, slow to see their error;
Her eyes ablaze with dark fire's glow,
Full red lips, a smile of fangs agleam;
Base desire turns to white-faced terror!
No thought but to live, no desire to fight,
They try to flee, run as fast as they can;
As soon prevent sunrise, for they're prey
To the Lady of the Shadows, Huntress of the Night...
Shadows of the Night (March 4th, 2008) 2nd draft
Quiet streets after sunset,
Fallen has the veil of night,
Darkness claiming dominion,
Broken now and then by firelight...
Fear drives the cityfolk indoors,
Only fools brave the dark street;
Whispers of evil stalking on the loose,
Doomed to death those it would meet...
Emerging from their place of sleep
A pair that hunts, enjoys the sport,
Tracking down their mortal quarry
This night in the district of the port.
Brought at bay the cornered victim,
Anticipation of the kill, death's seal;
Futile to fight, useless his sword,
For these Hunters fear no mortal steel...
Rushing in to claim his life's blood,
To enjoy the prey's final hour;
Triumphant end to the hunt turns
To shocked surprise in face of dark power!
Stopped in their tracks by spoken Names,
Strength sapped, pain like cuts of a knife;
Their foe draws a blade as dark as night,
The fight now not for sport but their life!
Bound by strands of black enchantment,
They hear the call, anguished and fell,
Rising as the Shadowsword's blade sends
The Hunter to the Halls where the Damned dwell!
Huntress of the Night, held fast by the dark web,
Her immortality illusion, it is clear
In face of foe born of Shadow and Death;
Rises the dark blade, final doom draws near...
Terror on her face, dark fire in her eyes,
She can see the fate waiting for her soul:
Price of black magic, of what gave her birth,
Eternal torment in the claws of spirits foul...
Stolen the moment of her life's greatest joy,
Taken soul and body, full of youth's bloom;
What paltry prize eternal life of night,
To be cast down to unending doom...
No more time now, she raises her gaze,
Not a shred of mercy in his gray eyes;
A stream of crystal tears escapes,
Falls to the ground as her hope dies...
In silence he has learned to See
Behind the masks of words and flesh,
Secrets hidden beneath Veils of Shadow,
Sort how the truth and falsehood mesh...
Before him trapped the deadly beauty,
A creature of the night's darkness;
Yet what the Sight to him is showing,
Her pain and despair, his own crimes no less...
Stays the blade for a moment, a question asked,
As she answers, in her eyes kindles hope's light;
Bonds dissolve; The Huntress and the Sorcerer
Slip together through the shadows of the night...
Love of Shadows Unreturned (March 1st, 2008) 2nd draft
Alone she walks the night, unafraid,
Stolen from the springtime of life,
Taken away cruelly her love's light,
Now behind her only pain and strife
Bound to dark slavery her spirit,
Damned her soul to thirst blood,
Plaything for a depraved Master,
Her past drowned in a red flood
Stained her lovely lips with crimson,
With the lives of innocents she took,
Death's angel flying through the night,
Luring victims with but a look...
Lady of the Shadows, burning with anger,
Quenches more than bloodlust on her prey,
Revenge and rebellion, such as she can,
Kills the cruel and blackguards when she may
Until the night of hunting on the docks,
Their chosen mark a killer and a thief,
Slave and Master coursing same prey,
The mortal man to come to grief...
Swiftly cornered, they close in on the prey;
Taken unaware as Shadow's Veil lifts,
Bound to stillness by their True Names,
Trapped by quarry wielding Death's Gifts...
No wound from steel to immortal flesh,
No mortal foe they could not handle;
Goes arrogance before the fall,
The Master's soul snuffed out, like a candle!
Threshold to the Halls of the Damned,
Edge of the Abyss yawning at her feet;
Snatched away from the brink of doom,
By strange mercy spared from Hell's heat...
Master of her fate, no longer slave,
Free to do her own will at last,
Her soul is cut, torn and bleeding
After reaching back for her past...
Accepted by a kindred spirit,
Her choice to serve the Shadow,
The Dark Man who set her free,
The only friend she would know
Through the years of intrigue
Comes danger of another sort:
Slips in like a thief in the night,
Hidden love storms her heart's fort!
Another light on their dalliance,
Curled together in their sleep;
Yet nagging doubts beset her:
Do his feelings run as deep?
Yet later, the fears become real,
Shatters the mirror of her dream;
His heart snared by other love,
Her soul howls a silent scream...
Forever hers the beauty of the night,
Nevermore to see the morning sky;
What hope for her, a candle to the Sun?
Won't try to cage his soul, but let it fly...
So easy to hate, to desire her death,
The Elven Queen who stole him away;
Yet to meet her, banishes such thought,
Let them seek what happiness they may...
Past the years of war, the dark times,
They survive, battered and burned;
Lies dead the Elven Queen, yet even now
Her love of Shadows unreturned...
*****
Feedback would be much appreciated.
Lady of the Shadows (February 27th, 2008)
The lady walking down the street,
Silk and jewels hidden by a cloak,
No guards to see the men that stalk,
The beauty on an errand discreet...
She stops, then turns down an alley dark
After brief hesitation in the twilight;
A shortcut, so tempting, to not be late;
Thugs swiftly race to catch their mark...
Forced to face them as they knew she must,
Shining hair, pretty face and eyes dark,
Bedecked with gold and gems, a man's dream,
Alone and helpless, she arouses baser lust...
A tumble of silky locks, a fall of amber gold,
Frame an angel's face, her defiant gaze;
Such a prize to have, loot silver and flesh,
Who would think her touch such deathly cold?
Blinded by lust, slow to see their error;
Her eyes ablaze with dark fire's glow,
Full red lips, a smile of fangs agleam;
Base desire turns to white-faced terror!
No thought but to live, no desire to fight,
They try to flee, run as fast as they can;
As soon prevent sunrise, for they're prey
To the Lady of the Shadows, Huntress of the Night...
Shadows of the Night (March 4th, 2008) 2nd draft
Quiet streets after sunset,
Fallen has the veil of night,
Darkness claiming dominion,
Broken now and then by firelight...
Fear drives the cityfolk indoors,
Only fools brave the dark street;
Whispers of evil stalking on the loose,
Doomed to death those it would meet...
Emerging from their place of sleep
A pair that hunts, enjoys the sport,
Tracking down their mortal quarry
This night in the district of the port.
Brought at bay the cornered victim,
Anticipation of the kill, death's seal;
Futile to fight, useless his sword,
For these Hunters fear no mortal steel...
Rushing in to claim his life's blood,
To enjoy the prey's final hour;
Triumphant end to the hunt turns
To shocked surprise in face of dark power!
Stopped in their tracks by spoken Names,
Strength sapped, pain like cuts of a knife;
Their foe draws a blade as dark as night,
The fight now not for sport but their life!
Bound by strands of black enchantment,
They hear the call, anguished and fell,
Rising as the Shadowsword's blade sends
The Hunter to the Halls where the Damned dwell!
Huntress of the Night, held fast by the dark web,
Her immortality illusion, it is clear
In face of foe born of Shadow and Death;
Rises the dark blade, final doom draws near...
Terror on her face, dark fire in her eyes,
She can see the fate waiting for her soul:
Price of black magic, of what gave her birth,
Eternal torment in the claws of spirits foul...
Stolen the moment of her life's greatest joy,
Taken soul and body, full of youth's bloom;
What paltry prize eternal life of night,
To be cast down to unending doom...
No more time now, she raises her gaze,
Not a shred of mercy in his gray eyes;
A stream of crystal tears escapes,
Falls to the ground as her hope dies...
In silence he has learned to See
Behind the masks of words and flesh,
Secrets hidden beneath Veils of Shadow,
Sort how the truth and falsehood mesh...
Before him trapped the deadly beauty,
A creature of the night's darkness;
Yet what the Sight to him is showing,
Her pain and despair, his own crimes no less...
Stays the blade for a moment, a question asked,
As she answers, in her eyes kindles hope's light;
Bonds dissolve; The Huntress and the Sorcerer
Slip together through the shadows of the night...
Love of Shadows Unreturned (March 1st, 2008) 2nd draft
Alone she walks the night, unafraid,
Stolen from the springtime of life,
Taken away cruelly her love's light,
Now behind her only pain and strife
Bound to dark slavery her spirit,
Damned her soul to thirst blood,
Plaything for a depraved Master,
Her past drowned in a red flood
Stained her lovely lips with crimson,
With the lives of innocents she took,
Death's angel flying through the night,
Luring victims with but a look...
Lady of the Shadows, burning with anger,
Quenches more than bloodlust on her prey,
Revenge and rebellion, such as she can,
Kills the cruel and blackguards when she may
Until the night of hunting on the docks,
Their chosen mark a killer and a thief,
Slave and Master coursing same prey,
The mortal man to come to grief...
Swiftly cornered, they close in on the prey;
Taken unaware as Shadow's Veil lifts,
Bound to stillness by their True Names,
Trapped by quarry wielding Death's Gifts...
No wound from steel to immortal flesh,
No mortal foe they could not handle;
Goes arrogance before the fall,
The Master's soul snuffed out, like a candle!
Threshold to the Halls of the Damned,
Edge of the Abyss yawning at her feet;
Snatched away from the brink of doom,
By strange mercy spared from Hell's heat...
Master of her fate, no longer slave,
Free to do her own will at last,
Her soul is cut, torn and bleeding
After reaching back for her past...
Accepted by a kindred spirit,
Her choice to serve the Shadow,
The Dark Man who set her free,
The only friend she would know
Through the years of intrigue
Comes danger of another sort:
Slips in like a thief in the night,
Hidden love storms her heart's fort!
Another light on their dalliance,
Curled together in their sleep;
Yet nagging doubts beset her:
Do his feelings run as deep?
Yet later, the fears become real,
Shatters the mirror of her dream;
His heart snared by other love,
Her soul howls a silent scream...
Forever hers the beauty of the night,
Nevermore to see the morning sky;
What hope for her, a candle to the Sun?
Won't try to cage his soul, but let it fly...
So easy to hate, to desire her death,
The Elven Queen who stole him away;
Yet to meet her, banishes such thought,
Let them seek what happiness they may...
Past the years of war, the dark times,
They survive, battered and burned;
Lies dead the Elven Queen, yet even now
Her love of Shadows unreturned...
*****
at you two...
