12 December 2012

At The End Of The Rope

Another day sinks
I wait here still
Painting my footsteps
Beneath a black roof

From the sole window
I gaze to the stars
Longing for freedom
Lost in the rain

Within the wicked cell
Anguished in loneliness
I wet my soul
With sinful tears

Behind the four walls
I sit and recount
I wait in agony
For the day to come

I cry in the dusk
With blood in my hands
As darkness hearkens
To my rueful wail

I weep the nights
And repent my deeds
Hoping my tears
Would lave me clean

I count the days
And carve the walls
I write a poetry
Of a sad man's woe

As darkness dawns
I lean back and recall
A tale of happiness
Ends in sorrow

Footsteps at the door
Awaken my reverie
For now I know
The moment is nigh

The lantern flickers
As I leave the doorway
Will I find forgiveness
At the hangman's rope?

I stand on the gallows
Beholding the noose
Nothing but silence
As my last word is written



 Disclaimer: The above poem is a work of fiction and bears no resemblance to any real people, either alive or dead, including the models in the two pictures. It is entirely a product of the author's imagination.

 Photography by Shaaith and Igorigorevich.

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28 comments:

  1. menopausal mama13/12/12 12:41 AM

    This is really, really good writing!! I hope you are putting together a book of your poetry--you certainly have the talent for it!!! Impressive!

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  2. Abu Zunnur13/12/12 1:13 AM

    Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm still at the beginning stage and have so much yet to learn. It is the inspiration I get from fellow bloggers that have kept me writing despite my limited time.

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  3. ninotaziz13/12/12 4:09 PM

    This is good - and emotes well.

    I was asked to write about prison life once. It is not pretty and I don't think I can do it. Many have gory stories and yes, studies show that most prisoners do not believe what they did was wrong. And many insist they were wrongly accused.

    Repentance does not come easy.

    And only God can open one's heart to true repentance.

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  4. Abu Zunnur14/12/12 8:00 AM

    @Ninotaziz,

    Prison is a horrible place indeed, but surprisingly it failed to make most of the prisoners admit their crimes. Like you said, which I strongly agree, only God can open people's heart to repentance.

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  5. Jerly14/12/12 3:53 PM

    u are right repentence cannot be brought about; it has to come! I wonder why u thought of this theme!

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  6. Tanya Sehgal14/12/12 5:29 PM

    This was an intense piece of writing. The words flowed fulfilling the desires of a prisoner it seemed. You depicted the tragedy & agony of a person going to be hanged such lovingly. I just wish only real criminals are hanged, the not so guilty & innocent souls (as it's famous in a nation like ours) have to never get through the pain. Brilliantly done !! Take care dear :)

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  7. Abu Zunnur14/12/12 9:06 PM

    @Jerly,

    True, Jerly. We can't create repentance in ourselves as we wish, it has to come.

    During my youth, I write simple songs and lyrics for my own pleasure and enjoyment. I went through my old collections the other day and found a few lines of my unfinished lyrics which read, "If I die tonight, please wash me clean, as I'm sleeping in sin."
    I tried to finish it and somehow it ended as a poem about a prisoner; and the three original lines I started with were omitted when I condensed the poem :)

    @Tanya,

    Thank you so much for your kind words! I truly appreciate it.
    I'm not so sure but I heard that some of the prisoners who are sentenced to death sink in deep repentance. I too hope that only real criminals who deserve to be hanged are put on the gallows.

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  8. Parmita14/12/12 9:10 PM

    The darkness of the poem makes it intriguing. It speaks of depth in human emotions. How terrifying and guilt ridden life can be that life itself becomes such a heavy burden to carry.
    Very intense and I am deeply moved by your poetry.

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  9. Abu Zunnur15/12/12 10:36 AM

    @Sui Generis Writer,

    Thank you very much for your inspiring words, Sui.
    Guilt ridden life is terrifying indeed and in this case, I portray death as solution for the prisoner to end his misery, hoping that his repentance is accepted and forgiveness is given.

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  10. Anonymous16/12/12 11:01 AM

    Wow... that's really good... love the emotions you built into it:) Very nice.

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  11. Saru Singhal17/12/12 1:57 AM

    Profound, we seek solutions and at times we go to the extremes. A poem with multiple layers of emotions which leaves the reader numb.

    Brilliantly written.

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  12. Abu Zunnur17/12/12 3:55 PM

    @tfwalsh,

    Thank you for your nice words and for your time, Tania! I'm glad you liked my poem.

    @Saru Singhal,

    Thank you so much, Saru! In this case, the solution he chose was extreme indeed but I guess he did not have much choice after all.

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  13. Sri Valli17/12/12 6:00 PM

    Ah! This is awesome poetry! Loved the way you showed the feelings of pain, loneliness, repentance, anguish! This is all I see now But, the poem has much more than that!

    Brilliant work!
    and lovely topic chosen!

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  14. Abu Zunnur17/12/12 6:33 PM

    @Sri Valli,

    Thank you so much! I very much appreciate your words.
    I'm not so sure about this but I feel like part of the emotion in the poem came as a result of my past experience (more than a decade ago), although I certainly wasn't a prisoner before, I have dwelt in loneliness and sadness, hiding behind four walls.

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  15. ♥●• İzdihër •●♥18/12/12 12:16 AM

    amazing !!!

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  16. Anne18/12/12 4:42 PM

    This was brimming with powerful emotions of both painful remorse and sadness. Despite the pain, I absolutely loved it.

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  17. Manjulika Pramod19/12/12 1:44 AM

    Lovely creation... I was so taken away in the words...could actually feel the pain. Too gud!

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  18. Panchali20/12/12 10:22 PM

    Beautiful..it honestly captures a prisoner's heart in all its sad solitude, and repentance...a heart breaking piece. Too good !!

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  19. A Reckless Dreamer24/12/12 9:48 PM

    Nothing sadder than dying in solitude.

    +To Me It Matters+

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  20. Islamic Inspirations25/12/12 11:21 PM

    Thanks

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  21. Purple Assassin26/12/12 2:09 PM

    Loneliness is probably the worst pursuit.
    There's a glory in your words.. amazingly narrated.

    Take Care :)

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  22. S.P.26/12/12 8:10 PM

    Your poetry is striking.
    xoxo

    Life's Perceptions

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  23. Ron26/12/12 11:08 PM

    This piece gave me chills!

    Excellent writing!

    I could actually FEEL all the emotions within it.

    Well done. Well done!

    P.S. the photos you used were perfect!

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  24. LuLu26/12/12 11:16 PM

    Came by way of another blog. I'm glad I stopped by. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

    xx
    Lulu
    Breakfast After 10

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  25. Carrie27/12/12 12:04 AM

    I love it! I'm not very poetic but you're great! Thanks for sharing =)

    I hope you enjoyed your Christmas! Have a safe New Year!

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  26. Mary Weber1/1/13 7:02 AM

    Poignant and wonderful. What a beautiful bit of writing, Zunner. I agree with the above comment -- I hope you're creating a book of your poetry!

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  27. Abu Zunnur7/1/13 7:12 PM

    Dear All,

    Thank you so much for all your kind words. I truly appreciate you taking your precious time to visit my blog.

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  28. Sassy 10/1/13 6:15 AM

    You are truly gifted with the written word. It is poetry that many can relate to within thier own experience.

    Madison:-)

    ReplyDelete

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