Poem – A Scarlet Revolution

Ah, yet another week has passed…. And for me it’s been a good one! It’s been super busy with work and school stuff + having a lot of people over for meals. But life is trucking along and it’s all good.  🙂 One of the main highlights, actually probably the main highlight, was hearing on Wednesday that I have been admitted to one of the universities I applied to! I’m super excited! I haven’t made any final decisions haha I’m not even close, but it’s a step along the way! Another highlight of the week was writing a short story that I finished in the wee hours of this morning. It’s been aaaages since I’ve written a short story, and so it was such a joy to get back into the rhythm of writing prose for fun! It’s based on a story found in Exodus 1, set in Egypt, and involves a terrible decision that one woman has to make. It’s also super in need of editing before I share it with the world. 😀 Perhaps some snippets will make it onto here, or even the whole story itself – that is, once I’ve edited it to my heart’s content.

This week I’m sharing another poem that I wrote recently. It is loosely based on my imaginings of what the French Revolution may have been like. You see, my mum and I have been reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – a book all about the French Revolution. It’s an incredible story and I highly recommend it (we’re one chapter away from being done!!). The story gives a great insight into the revolution and the turmoil and upheaval that was happening during that time. It definitely was a time fraught with horror and blood. However, something about the revolution sparked my imagination – perhaps the stark contrast of fear and bloodshed to the relatively peaceful existence I enjoy… Anyways, a poem was conceived in my rather overwrought imagination, birthed in a late night writing spree, and now I’m introducing it to the world… 

~

the last rays of a red sun

fade and slowly wane

leaving shadowed marble in its wake

darkness is falling

 

a scarlet rose lies crushed

on polished granite floor

life taken

with the rushing of frenzied feet

and the ever-swift oncoming night

 

red ribbons of life

intertwine with pearl clasped throats

staining purity with the passion

of long silenced voices

now finding their weapons

 

the richest of velvets and the whitest lace

are dipped in scarlet

life blood staining

the garments of those who took

so many lives

 

empty shells of men and women

sit, droop, lean, lie

among a garden of scarlet

roses and blood

 

night is coming

darkness creeping steadily

drawing a thick veil of mourning

over the silver of the moon

a haze of blood seems to hang

silently in the air

filled with righteous anger

 

the revolution has begun

~

Let’s chat! Have you read A Tale of Two Cities? Do you think this poem holds true with what you know of the French Revolution?