Bloodstained Dream – A Poem

My feet found their way to the seashore

Where the end first began

Though the sands so hard work

They cannot hide the wreckage

Of the broken ships and scarred bodies

Left behind in the wake of war

Something sends me forward

Over the wreck and toward the tide

Memories assailing my mind

Broken bodies and blood stained beach

All for a peace that could not keep

A failed attempt to mend a shattered land

My knees give way and I hit the ground

Each breath coming hard and fast

Before me lies the broken crown, 

The sword, and the rest

Here we stood and here they died

Leaving me alone, the last

A kingdom built and died

Upon the storm-washed stretch of sand

An army laid bare

The future dreamt, forgotten

In the aftermath of defeat

A dream none remember but me

The future we held so dear

I once waged wars for

But my now fellows are gone

Drowned in the icy sand

My hope drowned with them

Alone, I cannot stand

I bury the dream with my blade

Beside the buried crown

And lay down beside my brothers

This weight on my shoulders too much to bear

I sink into the sand to join them there

Taking the bloodstained dream with me

*****

My debut novel, The Freedom Fighters and The Magic Crown, a fantasy novel perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Eragon, or The Green Ember, is out now. Buy here.

King Mali rules Larcon, but the Freedom Fighters want it back. They send James to steal the one thing that can win their freedom, the magical crown Mali stole when he conquered the kingdom. James steals the crown and finds himself in the company of Peaches and Jacob, two aspiring Freedom Fighters, as he runs from Mali’s forces. In the castle, Mali plots to destroy the Freedom Fighters once and for all, Lila vies for a stronger position in his court, and Prince Marso works to keep the Freedom Fighters alive and well. The Freedom Fighters search for the Chosen to wield the magical crown as myths become reality and war looms ever closer.