Poem: Tormented

The old man
Sits in his home
Reading a book of art
Written by a famous playwright

Unbeknownst to him
A youthful young man
Scarred by the old man in his youth
Watches outside the window

Waiting like a panther
For the perfect opportunity
To strike and kill

The old man is
Withered and shrunken
A shadow of his former self

He used to be a mayor
Indeed he was when he
Scarred the younger man
One midsummer night many years ago

He took him forcibly
Against his will
To this day the younger man
Still remembers the jolt
Still feels the terror
And the bitter hatred
The need for revenge

This night
The twentieth year to the day
Of his initiation he has the chance
For revenge

There! The old man
Turns off his light
And closes the blind
It is time

The younger man
Enters the home
And no one objects
To his presence

He creeps through the halls
Toward his destination
The room designated
Number sixty-four

He opens the door
And creeps to the bed
The old man is there
Snoring gently

The young man pulls out
The tool of his revenge
A flash of silver
And the deed is done

Blood pours out
Too much by right
For an old man
To have

But he still has work to do
If he wishes to absolve himself
In the eyes of society

He creeps out and
Sneaks to the attendant’s
Place of rest

He wipes the bloody blade
On the man’s bedclothes
Places the blade down
And fades into the night

Five days later
The young man is found
Shell-shocked
He rocks to and fro
Locked in his own mind

En route to help
He gives a final gasp of relief
Then he is still
At peace as he ne’er was
In life

Author’s Note: This was a poem in homage to Macbeth written for a high school English project.