A Coward's Wish | Teen Ink

A Coward's Wish

July 26, 2013
By Mimo7197 BRONZE, Bayside, New York
Mimo7197 BRONZE, Bayside, New York
3 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
The grass is not always greener on the other side, they might be days away from a drought.


A stray cat lingers,
Belonging to no one,
Seeking solace,
Greeted with the deadly taste of fear.

A guillotine waits in the empty street.
You, the sun, have yet to shine on its sharp edges.
The moon's eery ballad
Has yet to subside.

A soulful man wakes in a cell,
Trembling with intelligent fear.
He looks up and relishes in the insidious moon,
Hope is bleak in its farewell ballad.

A ghost came forth in the dead of night.
In it I saw the eyes of Robespierre.
The eyes of a rebellious angel;
a devil in angelic form.

Another body staggers through a cemetery,
Meeting his new resting place.
A walk of death to him.
To them, a predestined walk of shame.

We need you;
a storm lay in your absence.
We shall not bid you farewell,
For your memory and greatness
is retained in our hearts.

If you chose to return,
Nature will lean into your presence.
But if you relent and stay hidden,
You will be proved as cowardly as us prisoners.


The author's comments:
The french revolution affected me deeply when I studied it. Thousands of people's lives had to be gruesomely ended at the expense of freedom and independence. The acts of Robespierre and his followers truly contradicted the meaning of nationalism and pride in one's country. I want people to truly think about how nationalism can blind someone from a true goal. How can one fight for a revolution that is destroying their own country? Is that even considered a revolution? Or is it mass destruction?

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This article has 3 comments.


on Aug. 11 2013 at 3:28 pm
StarlitSunrise DIAMOND, Clemmons, North Carolina
56 articles 0 photos 253 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." ~Camille Pissarro

This is an unusual subject for a poem, but I think you executed (no pun intended) it well. Part of me wonders if all your vivid imagery was truly needed to get the point across, but I suppose that is really up to you, the poet. Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading it. :) Keep writing!

on Aug. 8 2013 at 8:30 pm
Mimo7197 BRONZE, Bayside, New York
3 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
The grass is not always greener on the other side, they might be days away from a drought.

This poem basically is calling for an entity to save the French people from the awful conditions and torture during the Reign of Terror. The man is stating that people are cowards and they need someone with courage to stand up to all of this madness. It also questions whether the Reign of Terror should be considered a 'Revolution'.

OldYoungOne said...
on Aug. 8 2013 at 3:51 pm
I applaud this poem for its scholarly notes. Is this a note to freedom and revolution or to someone of greater topower asking them to stop the maddness that lays before the coward? I only ask becasue nothing is reallyasked for until the end. I enjoyed the imagery but I think that there should be something in place of the first stanza to draw the reader in.