Gladiator-Part 1-The Genesis


In the dark pits below the Colosseum, I lay pensive and silent,
Watching eyes of others, they seemed merciless and distant

I gripped the hilt of my sword, it felt solid and reassuring,
Unsheathing it now, the edges felt sharp and cutting

In the blade I saw screaming faces and eyes,
Eyes of opponents who had lost their pathetic lives

They say I was found in a battlefield, wounds bleeding profusely,
With only a black raven standing guard near me

They nursed me, fed me, and I woke up one day on a bed,
Brought back to the realm of the living from the dead

They told me that I was now their captive, a gladiator,
And would be free only when I got back my honour

They called me ‘Raven’ and soon began a game,
On one side stood death, on the other, glory and fame

The rules were simple-swift and sharp you must strike,
You wound, you kill your opponent to survive

I learnt quickly, killing and maiming without mercy,
Always winning the crowd over with my twisted bravery

Till one day, they told me we were going to Rome,
“Raven, you must find your freedom in the Colosseum”

We rolled across the deserts in a caravan, leaving home,
For gladiators, the road to freedom leads to Rome

Then I saw it, rising massive walls of sand and stone,
Like a huge and monstrous well, the grand Colosseum

Where they say, man kills man, man kills beast,
Where beast becomes man, and man becomes beast

As I lay now in the pit, waiting for my final fight,
I heard the roar of people above, swords clashing with all might

At long last, a guard called, “Next! Who is Raven?”
I got up sheathing my sword, feeling a rush of adrenaline

I climbed the carriage, grating chains now lifting it up,
And reached the ramp, the gate to the arena now opening up

I was running on the ramp now, towards the light outside,
To a thunderous welcome from the crowd, a rush of blood inside

I raised my sword and shield, bowing to the Emperor with humility,
And to the crowd, for I fight, I kill, I live for thee

A lone raven fluttered overhead, among the clouds gray,
Would he get his freedom like me, would this be the day?

A cry, “I give you today, Grutas the Invincible versus the Raven,
May the best man today win his freedom! Let the fight begin!”

Comments

Anu said…
Awesome...... beautiful....lovely.....and all the synonymns of these words.... i m proud to be a friend of such a great writer
June 23, 2007 at 11:59 AM
azima said…
brilliantly written poem....liked personifications,wordigs...great work..would love to read more poems of urs..happy blogging
August 4, 2007 at 11:50 AM
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