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 The Man in Black Trilogy

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Thirteen_Dreams
Grand Senior Literati
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Posts : 37
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PostSubject: The Man in Black Trilogy   The Man in Black Trilogy EmptyFri Jul 17, 2009 10:36 am

A Word on Life, and All its Twists and Turns

I stood upon the waterfall, and beheld a man in black
He stood in stony contemplation, I stood at his back
Presently he turned to face me, epiphany in his eyes,
A smile upon his face, he spoke: his voice cold as ice.

“One may dream awake, but sinks much further asleep,
Lately sleep evades me, that precious Ocean, so deep,
It’s a question that haunts me; no answer was in sight,
Not ‘till I beheld this thing, all its power and its might—

Life is like a waterfall! It flows—falls—straight and true,
‘Till the pool that is Death enfolds me and welcomes you,
But wait—there’s something wrong, something is not right,
I still feel like there’s something hiding, just out of my sight…”

I smiled and spoke.

“My friend, you are mistaken. You can’t see past the picture,
To the painting hidden deep inside, past this foolish stricture!
All through life we meander, we flow, we dry, we thirst, we die,
‘Till the Ocean of Eternity looms welcoming, in our withered eye;

So you see? Life is more the river, from the mouth unto its end,
At the hands of the gentle Ocean death likes to call its friend,
And whilst you may not like the answer, I urge you try to believe;
Without the river, the waterfall dies, and none are left to grieve.”






Life is like a waterfall, my friend; straight and true; ‘till in death, we are no more.

Ah, but I beg to differ, sir. Life is more the river; for without the river, how may the waterfall survive?


- Anonymous conversation in my head; the inspiration for this piece.





A Word on Death, and All its Depths and Mysteries

I stood beneath a moonbeam, and I beheld the man in black
A look of fleeting wonder; I wondered what he now lacked
The Sea of Tranquillity glared at us; I saw his grin return…
Epiphany in his eyes again, two pools that seemed to burn.

“But what of death?” he cried, a withered hand pointed at me;
“For surely you’re in error when you compare death to the Sea?
Death is nothing, a mere void; nothing lives, nothing is reborn,
Yet the Sea teems with life!” … and his tone was one of scorn.

“Your answers and ideas count for naught when faced with death!
Your beliefs and superstitions… mere lies upon a sinner’s breath!
When faced with nothing, then nothing we surely must become,
So why lace speech with sorrow, when you know ‘twill come undone?!”

I smiled and spoke.

“My dearest friend, please listen: you simply do not wish to believe,
Yet my ‘beliefs and superstitions’ are not that challenging to conceive,
My answers and ideas are merely truth, held in the face of denial —
And on the topic of death, let us speak. It’s truly a subject most revile.

‘Sleep comes laced with eternity, a slice of Heaven handed to you,
Yet many choose violent rejection in the face of Nature’s final truth,
Death is indeed the ocean, for where the river of life doth end —
There, rushing rapids slow, and cease… life’s violence, water shall mend.”





Final Question of the Man in Black

We stood inside the void, me and the man in black;
A rally devoid of motion, with nothing as the track,
No epiphany in his eyes now, no new query there,
Only blank disbelief, to an answer I once compared.

“Who are you?” he whispered, silence in his voice,
“Are you what you are by… slavery… or by choice?
You’ve awoken something in me, what I do not know;
So tell me, dearest friend – where did my certainty go?”

I smiled and spoke.

“Finality’s such a wondrous thing, to close a well-loved book!
Your questions answered, though it cost more than you took;
You’re simply that uncertainty in me, that which I know now is true;
So I no longer need you, though you are me; I am simply you.”







This is the piece I regard as my magnum opus. Strangely enough, it was born whilst I was so far gone on acid I could no longer feel my fingers. I came to the next morning with the entire thing in my head, so it became a race against time to typeset the entire thing before I forgot it.

I won the race, happy to say.
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Rob_Macabre
Grand Senior Literati
Grand Senior Literati



Posts : 70
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Join date : 2009-07-09
Age : 36
Location : The Fifth Level of Hell

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PostSubject: Re: The Man in Black Trilogy   The Man in Black Trilogy EmptyFri Jul 17, 2009 3:18 pm

I'm very glad to see this here. I've read it all before, but I don't think I've read it all together. And that really makes a difference. It's a lot better that way, not that it was ever bad. Brilliant as always.

And the way you came about it makes you sound like a 21st Century Coleridge.
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Thirteen_Dreams
Grand Senior Literati
Grand Senior Literati



Posts : 37
Literary Regard : 250
Join date : 2009-07-13
Age : 35
Location : Brisbane, Australia

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PostSubject: Re: The Man in Black Trilogy   The Man in Black Trilogy EmptySat Jul 18, 2009 4:50 am

Aye, it's supposed to be read all as one. Really detracts from both the story and the message, otherwise.

And I've never been compared to Coleridge before. That's awesome Very Happy
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