A wintry day, not so long ago
Amidst the falling flakes of snow
A man was taken to the gallows
His lips were pale, his skin was sallow
But no sign of fear; no glint of sweat
No show of remorse, no hint of regret
For he was proud of what he had done
If it were left to him, he’d watch them all burn
He sneered and hissed and laughed aloud
And pointed fingers at the crowd
He cursed, he bellowed, “I will rise again,
I will be back to cause more pain!”
The hangman, he was brave and tough
Made up his mind; he’d had enough
He shouted, “Quiet, now this must end
To hell’s dark depths you must be sent”
The mad man looked him in the eye
He knew he was about to die
But he laughed away with merry mirth
The blood-curdling sound seemed to shake the earth
The noose tied tight around his head
With one fell swoop the man was dead
His legs flailing with the wind so strong
A quiet end to a life of wrong
Another year; another night
Through the darkness pierced the light
The sun brightened up the early morn
While a woman screamed, her baby born
And as the wall clock counted five
His promise kept; he was alive
The man had risen from his tomb
He made his way to her tender womb
The baby laughed; it did not cry
You could see the evil in its eyes
His promised revenge had just begun
The hangman was now blessed with a son
The baby, his child; his son indeed
Poisoned fruit born of his own seed
The years went by; the day had come
The child knew what he needed done
The child was stronger than before
The hangman could not fathom what was in store
The child went about his killer spree
The father hung from atop a tree;
Then the child laughed; without rhyme or reason
The madness evident in its ghastly completion
There was no remorse; no place for sorrow
A dystopia in the wake of tomorrow.
Mihir Kamat 