After the ripples had stilled,
the last tear swallowed --
all that was left was the letter.
“He besmirched your honor.
I had no choice but to meet
his vile lies with a slap
and the promise of dawn’s silence
broken by volleys of dissent.
No man should be allowed
to make light of a woman so fair
or to disgrace her charm
with comments so foul.
Be sure my love, I will right this wrong.”
Both men graced the shadows
with their still forms. My honor
be damned. Better I still had the man.
Now when the winds blow across the heath
I can feel him cling to my form.
I walk the moor and curse the fight
that claimed the heart of my fine man.
7:43 PM
11/25/08
Alexandria, VA
Author notes
Men are, oft', but boys -- playing at being greater than life requires.
Please tell me what you think, what it makes you feel, how you are moved.
Comments
1 - 34 of 34
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I had a boyfriend 13 yrs. younger than myself. We were together almost 10 yrs. until he developed a curious radar for damsels in distress. It seemed everywhere we went he found someone who needed to be rescued and needless to say there was often bloodshed, especially if alcohol was involved. I finally ended it, tiring of picking up the pieces. He was trying "I think" to correct some perceived imbalance in our relationship and succeeded in killing it instead. Once again, your wisdom is profound!!!
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There is a certain need fullfilment in being worthy or a man or what ever the excuse is. When feeling insufficent it covers a lot of ego ground.
I guess I look at it in terms of standards. I try to maintain mine moral and spiritual and I do it often without thinking. I had a couple in front of me arguing at the end of an exit ramp. He gets out of the car and then so does she and they start walking off. I had to laugh, I couldn't go anywhere and they are so into their shit. I blew my horn and they looked up ran back to their car and drove off.
In another case a guy was going to smash a woman's face in and I told him to stop. I was the only person to speak and their was a crowd watching.
I may not always make the right choices. I don't think it is my job to save the world. At the same time I have to live with myself. I don't always know the answer to this one, and I only pray I make the right choices.
Love, Tom B.
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I felt this, was in this situation a couple of times with others feeling that in my defence/ for revenge they wanted to extract/enact retribution and oh my, it was not easy to dissuade them from this course of folly, for emulating the very thing that caused the sting is akin to injecting the self with poisoning, sometimes justice and karma take their time but better to wait for them in due course than take the wrong course of action. Some times others try to dig our graves for us but if we let ourselves become like them then we surely help them dig it for us.
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Wonderful review. You caught a deeper understanding that I was trying to bring forward in this in a subtle fashion. For he not only stole away the life they could share but he treated her as if she was powerless and only worthy if he stood up for her. Unfortunately, it is a clear statement of those who want to be seen heroically but are unable to see the cost of the consequences.
Love, Tom B.
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I remember once, there was a neighbor who came to aid during one of mine and Andrew's bigger fights. He was able to keep me from quickly destroying every piece of heirloom crystal we owned.
He stepped in and said, "it takes a real son of a bitch to cause a woman to breah her own stuff...". at first I didnt really hear him, but it finally prevented me from breaking anymore.
I really loved those pieces too, and wished now I hadn't let myself stoop to his level by responding to his BS.
I love this write Tom. This is why you'll always be considered a real man, and any real women out there know this. I wont break another thing of mine over something as silly as a little boy acting out, ever again.
Wonderful,
love,
jin
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People want to know they have power. When they have none or are petty beyond belief they use words to put themselves up by putting others down. I have learned to let these suckers stew in their own juices and the most they get from me is, "That's nice. What do you do for an encore? or "What part of "no" don't you understand." This is only if I deem it worthy of more than silence.
I wrote this and it is funny, in a way, 'cause my best friend says I am the most honorable man he knows. But, I know the only person who can besmirch my honor is me. Kindness in the face of madness and tolerance in the face of hate are far more powerful tools than any silly act of violence.
Love, Tom B.
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A I see the misty meadow and the winning of the wrong one.... thank you so much for entering.
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Thanks for the contest. Enjoyed the challenge.
Love, Tom B.
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Nothing like another man coming to a woman's honor when one has tried to stain her rep...the most flattering form to me is prose or poetry, song because it means he has put time and thought into it...thought enough to memorialize it...*sigh*
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I am a Quaker, a pacifist and I have watched too many little boys in men's bodies dance in misunderstanding of what respect, honor and maintaining them means. In the course of time, the body count is heinous.
In this poem, I tried to heighten the sense of waste for the living. How she does not notice her honor being besmirched but she misses him always.
Love, Tom B. -
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Yes...
me too but I'm noticing that the women more often seem to want to be in these type situation and even though it doesn't excuse it...you have to at some point gain the strength to remove yourself. I'm also finding more often
that the women seem to be interest in gaining on the men, feeling they
are worthy of the carrying the "dog" title...but we haven't caught up yet, that
twist fails just as miserably...you think like a genuine man Tom. -
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People who need words to fill the void within often play games of drama and passion for not account. In the end, people get hurt for meaningless reasons and long seasons of regret.
Love,
Tom B.
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amazing
Everything about this creative, wonderful write moved my soul!
So well formed. I bow to the master
Savina
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Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for finding so much. I would love to be a master, but I think I have far too much to learn.
Love, Tom B.
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No problems sensing the regret of one's "role"
in society here. To feel a careless word warrants a death struggle is obscene when seen from today's perspective, but all too commonplace once upon a time. Wonderful ending that brings texture into the words as well as resignation. Blue
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History has a way of repeating itself. Now the term is don't "dis" me. The results can be just a bloody. Respect is too often a term used by those whose sense of self value is limited or missing.
Thanks for taking the time to check this one out.
Love, Tom B.
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very nioc epoem here tom as always i had to drop in and read one of your pieces hope you dont mine
take care
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You are always welcome to come by. Glad you enjoyed this adventure into the dramatic.
Love, Tom B.
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I like the style you wrote this in; it reminded me of some of the books I've been reading (I'm getting back into Dickens and Austen a bit)
This reminded me of the wanton thoughts of a lost love clinging to the waves at the base of a cliff.
Lovely write - you should experiment with this type of writing I think you could go a long way with it.
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Thanks for the compliment. Ennovy has tried to convince me to write romances. I play with this. I just want to catch the drama, the cusp of the tragedy.
Love, Tom B.
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A beautiful write Sir Tomis, thank you for sharing such amazing words with me
Many blessings
~A~
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Thought you might enjoy this dance.
Love,
Tom B.
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Absolutely excellent you surely gave the contest it due, and it's my favorite type of poetry the Old English...I found myself ready fro the men to duel, and the twist to the tale made me smile with glee...excellent write....I loved IT!...novy
great words used
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I have read enough of your fare to dare to think you would enjoy my dance with romance.
Love, Tom B.
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Men are oft' but boys....oooooh, so that explains it
Very nicely done, Tom. Love, Lane
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and you never knew ...
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You fight a perfect duel of the heart with this, perhaps an older custom but could be making a comeback LOL C
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This has a Shakespearean backdrop for me. "What fools men be" and "All the world is a stage" I wanted to have him die for her honor and her faced with the loss of her love but honor intact. What would she rather have? The man or the memory. It is makes it all a lie that he should die.
Love,
Tom B. -
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We like the thought that a man would fight for our honor, but there is no honor in dying for something they may never really own, it's a guilt ridden maid who believes her face would launch a thousand ships and be satisfied with one small sailing boat
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Perhaps it is enough to know the man would hold you so highly in his regard and love. But, so silly to believe that he should fight another man for a perceived slight.
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"I walk the moor and curse the fight
that claimed the heart of my fine man." the imagery!!!1
i love this. to be fought over by men. to be just a trophy of love. but then again more.
it seems so heart breaking but at times...
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I wanted to catch the way honor can become hollow when it claims the life and leaves the loved with only the ghost of a memory.
Love, Tom B. -
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THE GHOSTS??Or do you hide behind reality?
YOU SPEAK OF YOUR GHOSTS OF THE PAST YOU HAVE NOT LET THEM DIE. You dream of their kisses and their bieng how is that....If you proclamated death to be proclaimed? -
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If you look at the picture that was part of the prompt of this contest, you would understand better why I chose to write this. I wanted to make poignant how people do the stupidest things for the most high minded reasons. It is almost as if his grand jestures make the love proclaimed a lie.
Love,
Tom B.
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