This is a small excerpt from a larger piece titled “In The Realms.” It is a little darker and lacks the hidden hope that much of my work holds, but in my humble opinion that is the nature of despair. I (sort of) follow the same idea as Tolkien in regards to despair. One has only truly reached despair when all hope is gone. This piece looks at what that place would be like
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Silence echoes through the Land of Despair,
Like that of ghosts given up their haunt.
Filled not with light nor darkness,
The absence of all is all to be expected
When hope has gone
And left behind
But the turbulence of doubt proven right.
On the horizon sits a dock,
Guarding a still river,
And a sign that reads,
“Fear not what you see,
For the unseen is peril.”
The post it hangs upon is rot
And smells of Death’s desire.
The dock shakes as if Poseidon breathes,
But here, gods are not welcome.
There is no bridge,
Nor ferry that crosses.
None that touch the shore
Have ever found a need,
For to touch the shore
Would mean to never leave;
And to find yourself here
Would be to hold that belief.
From the shore inland is set a single road,
Built of bones and broken stones,
And those that walk it hide their faces under black cloaks,
But there is no shame,
Nor is there faith–
The Land of Despair would offer passage
For none that still carried such charms.
They walk alone to who knows where,
With no goal of being anywhere.
The ground is flat as far as the eye can see,
But the road is uneven,
Like a winding mountain pass in a ceaseless winter.
There is no peak to reach nor valley in which to fall.
Gray ash rains from an unlit sky
That matters not to the blind–
Their walk continues
With no delay.
The soul has no other place to go
That has given up on hope.
What gates will open
When Heaven and Hell come up short,
‘Cept a place that cares not of worth,
Nor worldly birth?
The Land of Despair has no question
For loyalty or ambition,
But to say, “Hello friend.
This is where nothingness begins.”
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