~Calm in The Storm~

The family's devoted friend...

ashy and solemn visage...

shale rather than granite.

With baleful eyes...

in tortures of suspense.

Respecting a future spear of life.



The family's malevolent enemy...

all the devouring and insatiate monsters.

Changeless and hopeless...

very watchful and intent...

to deduce, from look and manner,

what each other's unintelligible words meant.



A horrible shadow of unreal mockery...

The "Grindstone".

The "lady" of no delicacy...

The substance of the shadow...

The sea still rises, fire rises...

The darkness of footsteps, echoing in secret.

A knock at the door.



The game made,

a hand at "cards".

The fellow of delicacy,

the honest "tradesman".

An opinion...a plea...

Fifty-two to the gallows.

THEY said of him, about the city that night,

that his was the peacefullest man's face ever beheld there.

Many added that he looked sublime and prophetic...

"Recalled to life".

Author's Notes/Comments: 

This is a poem that I wrote based on a book by Charles Dickens called "Tale of Two Cities". In this poem, the "Grindstone" represents the guillotine that was used during the French Revolution to behead people. "Cards" represents the unfair trials that took place.
Depending on how you look at it, the honest "tradesman" could represent either Charles Darnay or Sidney Carton.
And "Recalled to life", in this poem, represents the scenes in which Sidney Carton switched clothes with Charles Darney and in so doing, saves Charles Darnay and sacrifices his own life for them at the guillotine. If you've read the book, you could probably figure out what the rest of the poem refers to or represents.

View meray's Full Portfolio