Verity

The brilliant flames edge ever closer.

Their heat scorching the undersides of my toes.

As the blaze beneath me strengthens, it seems to embolden the onlookers.

A stone is tossed, and it clips my shoulder.

Another follows.

Drops of crimson fall,

Seemingly in slow motion towards the fire.

Sizzling, as they make contact with the blazing branches below.

I will not show any sign of weakness

As I know that this, too, will encourage them further.

I bite back a sob as a large stone crashes into my brow.

The flames are licking at the soles of my feet,

And the smell of scorched flesh is growing stronger by the second.

My stomach knots, from the pain and the smell.

I try not to wretch as the pain grows in ever-increasing intensity.

The minister looks on with barely concealed glee in his eyes,

“This is your final opportunity to confess. What say you?”

“I-” The flames are at my ankles and the smoke is as stifling as the heat.

In this moment, I am cognizant of the fact that a false confession will not save me.

Whether I concede or hold fast, I am no longer for this world.

If they spare my life, and I doubt that,

I will be crippled.

How would I tend to those in need?

How would I manage my farm?

If I confess then the others will burn just as I am now.

No, I shall die with dignity, integrity, and peace of mind.

I will maintain my resolve.

“I have already told you the truth.

I have acted alone and there was no one else present.

I-”

It’s becoming harder to speak, and my consciousness is becoming sharper,

Even as it threatens to fail me.

One moment I am able to see every detail of the fiery monstrosity beneath me,

The faces of the villagers looking on,

And the next, it goes hazy and gray.

“I shall go to my grave with a clear conscience.

I have lived my life with integrity and morality.

Which is far more than most of you, who were so quick to judge me, can say.

As the healer in this village, I know a great many secrets,

And while you all may believe that they will die with me.

You are quite wrong about that!”

Uneasy looks are present upon every villager’s face now.

My words have the intended effect,

Rattling them to their very cores.

“The truth shall reveal itself in due time!”

The governor shifting, uncomfortably, from one foot to the other is the last thing I see.

The heat becomes so overwhelming that I can no longer bear it.

The world goes dark and I succumb to the pain.

. . .

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This poem was originally published on Medium.