The righteous shall be tested
the humble become weak,
the foul will wreak their havoc
and all humanity shall shriek.
For the power of the dark lord
shall uncloak with fearful power
in a final bid to rule all men
beware, this the darkest hour.
For the anti-christ shall hypnotise
calling all humanity to his side
a cloak of purity he'll wear
promising treasures to provide.
Seeking to despoil
that time of Saviour's birth
and recreate in darkness
the liberator's time on earth.
And shall the blindfold fall away
to see the light of truth
or shall I buckle under
and succumb to darkened sleuth.
As the beast appears malignant
will the sight just freeze my soul
for faith most strong can easily
tumble out of all control.
Author notes
Poetry Response from poem by William Butler Yeats
The Second Coming
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
In a list
A contest entry
- Y is for Yeats - William Butler Yeats by just mercedes.
1400 points, ended October 14, 2008, 9 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please Tell Me What You Think
Comments
-
Thank you for this entry to the contest, and a fine poem in response to the prompt.
The Second Coming is seen as the time of the Dark One, the anti-christ, and the narrator wonders how he will respond. I like the form, and the rhymes, unforced and questioning. The strongest line for me was 'beware, this is the darkest hour' as that allows me some hope, just before the dawn. -
An excellent follow up to Yeats' writing. The one word "malignant" sums up the power of something dark, something that grows.
-
They say
Many have said this is he time if the Anti-Christ and certainly one has to wonder. Should we here in the USA look in our own back yard. Seems sad when Hollywood degenerates and haters of my country can control who becomes our next leader. But the Mayans say December 1212 is the ' End Day '
Adding your comment:
