The Priest and the People

"The gates come down this night!"
Roared the man of light

Driven by fear and obsession
It was one sin never told through confession

Bellowing orders from atop his balcony
Blinded by delusions of glory

The priest led his herd
Countless dreams were crushed with the subtle power of one word

The mob lurched forward down the beaten trail
The wind howled as it began to hail

The wild pitch began to reach fervor
As the line between beast and man began to blur

The hopes for riches and plunder
Fueled the urge to tear the gates asunder

With a deafening crash the gates fell
As did the hopes that whatever lay beyond would release them from their hell

The priest waddled in holding the tails of his gown
Anxiously looking around

But there were no trophies or golden rings
Just rusted monuments to long forgotten kings

The priest fell to his knees
The people gathered to leave

As he began to shout
His eyes fell on the nail marks trying to get out
Copyright © | Year Posted 2012

Poem

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace