The Loss
Or the end of a war in a high fantasy universe
Snow touched the pines
Long before the shadow
Of night stretched eagerly
Over the mountains.
.
Stone-blue eyes stared
Across the land, once his own,
Now soiled with blood and ash
And no small amount of death.
.
The empty fight was over.
Enemies and allies, dead.
Their bodies polluted the dirt,
Turned the rivers red.
.
Long strands of black hair,
Curled, wet with blood,
And streaked grey with age
Shifted in the wind.
.
He didn't want this.
There was a body in the sea
Of decaying flesh that should not
Have ever been there.
.
There was a body whose litheness
Belonged in a different grave.
It belonged underneath oak trees
Where it could rot and feed the moss.
.
But war was no picky thing
And it had taken the elegance,
Stripped the passion from its soul
And hollowed out its bones.
.
Cold air struck fiercely against his face.
This was a loss, a colossal failure.
A war won but at the cost
Of something beautiful and ethereal.
.
Something that could not be gained,
Or replicated, or created.
Tears sprung to the darkening eyes.
He'd killed his best friend.
___________________
Happy New Year! Holiday break from writing is over :)
About the Creator
Silver Daux
Shadowed souls, cursed magic, poetry that tangles itself in your soul and yanks out the ugly darkness from within. Maybe there's something broken in me, but it's in you too.
Ah, also:
Tiktok/Insta: harbingerofsnake
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Comments (17)
Wow! The twist underscores the unforseen casualties... nicely done.
Such a powerful twist of an end. I loved your fantasy laced poem and story. Congratulations, too, on a much deserved Top Story.
Congratulations on Top Story!!!!
Good one
ooo, you're killing as usual, meant to come back and say congrats on Top Story for this!
Congrats on top story.
Visually beautiful yet haunting in content. These lines were so powerful: 'There was a body whose litheness Belonged in a different grave. It belonged underneath oak trees Where it could rot and feed the moss'
Powerful verses, I like how you bring scenes to life
Yay SD!!! Congrats on Top Story!!
Absolutely heartbreaking. Quite the epic of a poem with such world building and character development!
A brutally brilliant counting of cost! šš»šš»šš»
Oof,that ending. That was very emotional. Excellent work.
War. a friend killed. He won. but didn't. ā£ļø
ooooh ... those last few lines tie everything together while revealing that deeper level of loss! powerful and eloquent writing as ever, Silver!
That ending... just brutal (in good way)!! Great work SD!
Aww, this was so full of emotion! Wonderful imagery, put me right in the moment. Here's to 2025!
A powerfully evocative return to form, SD! Happy 2025!