Reflections

The lake danced, rippled,
Before my eyes.
A pale reflection, crippled,
In a way, struck me
With a force so brutal.
A weak, scentless rose,
With every withering petal,
Scorched with her conscience.
What have you done,
Her conscience screamed.
I wasn't as weak, alone,
I wasn't so sorry, so tired,
Or for so much misery deemed.
I couldn't meet her eyes,
The Lady Conscience,
The once untouched, pure woman.

What have you done?
Her screams echoed
In the dark, silent corridors
Of my thoughts.
Somewhere along the road,
I'd killed her innocence,
Her beauty, her self-esteem,
Her virginity - all now lost.

What have you done?
What have you done to me?
What have you done to the woman
Who never begged, borrowed, stole,
Hurt, killed, tortured or feared?
The woman who played her role
With courage, dignity, emotions myriad?

Was she like this, the dainty beauty, before?
Was she so unhappy, so tormented, and more?
What have you done to the woman
Of strength, of substance, who never cried?
The woman who smiled at all odds,
A woman whose flames never died?

What have you done to the fiery beauty,
The princess, the charismatic goddess?
A woman who'd never accept failure,
A woman who'd never settle for anything less?

What happened to the furious independence,
The pride, the driving force that steered her?
What have you done to the woman so smart?
What have you done to her, Love?

Go away, Love, find your next victim!
Her weaknesses you've used,
Her loving heart you've burned.
You made her think of him,
Now make her un-think!
You've now hurt her, even abused;
The fickle world she has learned!

The lake watched, a mute spectator,
Our silent argument, her loud accusations.
I looked at her, in wordless agony.
How could I pacify, answer, satiate her?
How could I wipe away her pain, tribulations?
How could I, with all the fingers pointing at me?

You, Eros, she said with her eyes burning bright,
You've done this to her, you've killed her spirit.
She is now not alive; merely living her life!
She hadn't known you had such a poisonous bite,
You monster, you heartless creature, accept it!
You made her dream of being someone's wife;
Now she's no longer the loving girl she used to be!

She can't trust anymore; you've broken her heart,
You stole her self-worth, all her undying love!
Now here you are, you uncaring animal,
You've tortured her, part by dying part,
She no longer loves even herself now!
You've done evil things, you evil brute!

I couldn't say a word to refute.
I couldn't speak a syllable to save my skin.
She called me an uncaring animal, an evil brute,
I knew everything was true, deep within.

As her screams died, slowly, gradually,
I walked away from her, my head hung in despair.

Once again, I was accused of playing foul.
But then, I knew I tried my best.
Yet another murdered soul,
Yet another victim struck out from my list.
Yet another case of unrequited love,
Yet another storm of gloom, misery and pain.
Yet another toxic shot from my bow,
Yet another lively soul, now killed, slain.
A quiver full of arrows, all at my disposal.
A couple of misled, careless aims, a couple of broken hearts -
Broken and numb, poisoned forever.