I Am Poverty | Teen Ink

I Am Poverty

December 22, 2012
By Elizabeth-of-rohan PLATINUM, Abbeville, Louisiana
Elizabeth-of-rohan PLATINUM, Abbeville, Louisiana
35 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
Pain is stronger than life, stronger than death, love, loyalty, duty.
~Essad Bey

"you are tired (i think) of the puzzle of living and doing; and so am i. come with me, then, and we’ll leave it far and far away—" - e.e. cummings


Lo! The villain stands by the door
Crouched, starved and waiting
His eyes burn bright,
His skin taught over bones,
He flexes his claws
He gnashes he teeth.

Backed up against the wall
I stand sword ready in hand,
My mouth moves in silent prayer
My legs tremble against my will,
If he comes nearer
I’ve sworn to kill him.

On four limbs like a cat
He comes forward
Eyes darting, mouth drooling,
His breath is like a sewer
His clothes hang in shreds,
Man he may once have been
But he looks not like one now.

With a leap he is on the tale
I stand posed ready to strike
“Who are you?” I ask the ghoul,
He howls and says, “I am Poverty!”
“What do you mean?”
He replies, “I am he who waits outside your door,
I beg and receive nothing; I am he who gets no work.
I cannot feed my family, so I rightly say I am the face of poverty.”

My sword lowers,
“You would come and take what is not your?”
“I do not take what should not be mine.”
The creature replied,
“What makes us poor? What makes us rich?”

The ghoul shook his head
“Only fate ordained your place,
And thrust mine upon me.
I could have had riches
They are rightly mine!
So I do not steal from you tonight.”

With that the brute leapt at my throat
And I with skilled hand
Smote him through the heart,
He lay quaking and quivering
His life blood draining,
With haunted eyes he pointed out the window.
I turned to look
The sun was setting
The creature gurgled and lay dead,
Sheathing my sword I poured wine,
Sat down at my table
And enjoyed my dinners meal.


The author's comments:
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
? Mark Twain

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This article has 4 comments.


on Jan. 2 2013 at 4:37 am
Elizabeth-of-rohan PLATINUM, Abbeville, Louisiana
35 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
Pain is stronger than life, stronger than death, love, loyalty, duty.
~Essad Bey

"you are tired (i think) of the puzzle of living and doing; and so am i. come with me, then, and we’ll leave it far and far away—" - e.e. cummings

lol yes I seriously wrote this. :D Thanks.

on Jan. 2 2013 at 4:36 am
Elizabeth-of-rohan PLATINUM, Abbeville, Louisiana
35 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
Pain is stronger than life, stronger than death, love, loyalty, duty.
~Essad Bey

"you are tired (i think) of the puzzle of living and doing; and so am i. come with me, then, and we’ll leave it far and far away—" - e.e. cummings

Thanks. :)

on Dec. 27 2012 at 8:23 pm
VioletsandVoice, Spiritwood, North Dakota
0 articles 0 photos 170 comments
I saw your name on the three top voted articles so I was like, who IS this person that manages to get all of the top spots? Now that I've read your work I am not disapointed. Keep it up :)

on Dec. 27 2012 at 10:07 am
journeyflower SILVER, Anywhere, Alabama
8 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
If your heart is a volcano, how will you expect the flowers to bloom?

Did you seriously write this? Because this is fantastic, post-medieval stuff right here. Marvelous, truly.