This is one of the other rare pieces that I consider at least a little bit on the good side of my creative talent. It is tentatively entitled “Young Bloods.”
Have I sinned?
Should I care?
Who have I sinned against?
Is it God?
Or perhaps Society?
Does it matter either way?
Have I hurt you?
Do you hate me?
Have I loved you?
Have I possesed you?
Was it your will or mine?
Was it both?
You were so young.
I was in my prime.
You were full of life.
I was slowly dying inside.
Your world was just opening before your eyes.
Mine had been unraveling for quite some time.
We met by chance.
At a Christmas party.
You were fifteen.
Beautiful in your emerald dress.
I was ten years advanced.
Solemn in black velvet.
We were two shooting stars in passing.
You were on a course for heaven.
I was falling down to hell.
Was it a glimpse of destiny?
A prelude to imminent collision?
Or just another sigh in time?
A friend of a friend introduced us.
You cast your eyes aside.
You said hello in your shy way.
I was speechless.
I could only stare.
Already my heart was melting.
Months passed by.
I lay dreaming.
Fond memories of you plagued me.
Your raven hair.
Your liquid eyes.
That shy schoolgirl smile.
You’d all but forgotten me.
Life carries on.
You’d become a woman.
But you still weren’t happy.
Your father was strict.
Your mother was cold.
You weren’t allowed to date.
You weren’t allowed to have fun.
You felt their shackles binding you.
A traditional family gone too far.
I’m sure that they loved you.
But they were crushing your soul.
So you ran away.
As you’d done twice before.
But this time was different.
You wouldn’t be returning.
Your determination was strong.
I was in the shadows, waiting.
It was purely by chance.
I found you in the park.
It was close to midnight.
You sat on a bench crying.
So cold.
So alone.
I wrapped my trenchcoat around you.
You looked up in surprise.
A spark shot between us.
It was like heaven and hell meeting.
It was like old lovers reunited.
Recognition dawned in your eyes.
I took you to an all night cafe.
Filled you up with sweets and lattes.
You poured out your sad tale.
I’d heard it all before, of course.
But this time it touched me.
This time it was real.
I drove you to my place.
Insisted you stay the night.
You were hesitant at first.
But so trusting.
You refused to go home.
So you had little choice.
I laid you in my bed.
I slid in beside you.
I wrapped my arms around you.
You shivered in fear.
But I only wanted to hold you.
Soon you slept peacefully.
You went to school as usual.
The months passed on by.
You had me to to come home to.
A job to occupy your time.
But your heart was still hurting.
Your family denied you.
You were eternally greatful.
Truth be told, so was I.
We were so lonely before.
Now we had each other to hang on to.
It was only a matter of time.
Forbidden love grew between us.
One night you came home crying.
Your mother had found you.
Angry words were exchanged.
Neither of you understanding.
I held you till midnight.
I kissed away your tears.
I laid you in my bed.
I slid in beside you.
I wrapped my arms around you.
You shivered with longing.
You accepted my kisses.
My gentle probings.
You burned beneath my fingers.
You writhed at my touch.
Our tongues sought intimate places.
Your pain was exquisite.
I bathed in your blood.
As we made love till dawn.
Our nights filled with passion.
Our days with old memories.
Our troubles were forgotten.
We had all that we needed.
In our love for each other.
Forbidden though it be.
But spring found us troubled.
Your blood had stopped flowing.
A trip to the doctor.
Confirmed our worst fears.
Not quite sixteen.
You carried my child.
Several months passed.
We grew content with this turn.
A child born of love.
Couldn’t be wrong.
But your parents still worried us.
As well as the law.
Then it happened late one evening.
My whole world was shattered.
You took off work early.
You weren’t feeling too well.
You clung to me weeping.
You collapsed to the floor.
I gasped out in horror.
As blood pooled by your thighs.
I swept you up in my arms.
I dialed 911.
They arrived far too late.
In my embraced you’d grown still.
It took less than a week.
A warrant was issued.
Your parents wanted justice.
For the ‘crimes’ I’d committed.
So I loaded up my car.
I just disappeared.
I’m still on the road.
A long trip it’s been.
Not a day can pass by.
I think of you and my child.
I’m holed up in a motel.
Deciding my own fate.
I sit here and ponder.
This world that we live in.
Twisted and dark.
Like a black stained-glass window.
What kind of people.
Can call love a crime?
So I lie back and gaze out.
Through a grimy glass window.
Whiskey in one hand.
Colt .45 in the other.
The tips have been crossed.
The chambers are loaded.
The hours pass by.
I lay dreaming.
Fond memories of you plague me.
Your raven hair.
Your liquid eyes.
That shy schoolgirl smile.
The time is at hand.
The sirens are wailing.
They’ve caught up to me at last.
One last shot of whiskey.
A click.
A hammer locking into place.
The barrel is a memory.
Cool like your lips.
One last kiss to share with you.
I squeeze you tightly.
Together forever.
In crimson ecstasy.