Pariah

• Sam Evans, Grade 10
• Poetry
• 2010

While light perceives the broken profile/Its shadow hides the empty soul
The warring peace of blanket exile/A heart that's dark and dead as coal.
The shattered sunlight drenches grass/Scattered there like tears o' stars
Crushing weight of thoughts that pass'd/The scope of mind; blood and scars.

Life and death cease to exist/And deep trench'd hearts no longer feel
A mindless purpose to persist/Ship without rudder, hilt without steel.
Past life carved from sweetened pretence/Of caged having and free hope
Innocent blood seemed small expense/Now mortal certainty, board and rope.

In life they played the puppeteer/Now Hell's bugler calls them forward
The sound of death is sweet with fear/Upon the river Styx is moor'd,
Their passage to the gaping hold/Bound now to the rotting oars
With chains of jewels and lust and gold/They push of Styx's mottled shores.
And up above they hear his tread/The man they shunned now turned Messiah
Their hearts are gone, their souls are shed/Only blackened envy for him; The Pariah.