Stuck In The Middle With You

by CoffeeMinion

Victory’s Lament - [Sad] [Alternate Universe] - April 2020 Writeoff (“An Allegory of Sorts”)

In vic’try, I, a grasping, vengeful wretch,
Berate my weak heart, crying: “Coward! Fool!
Of fate unworthy, yet death did not catch!
Thou’r’t given power—take it up and rule!”

For in my breast, a second heart doth beat,
Of nascent alabaster suf’ring, wrought
From bones my onetime conscience made its meat.
That grinder, inward turn’d, devours to naught.

What gain be this—a tattoo ’pon the still
Of soul’s night? Pray, of darkling powers, whom
Shall cut my birth-heart free, or angels kill
Th’unnatural anchor, pulling t’ward yon Moon?

In bodkin’s freedom, I dare not believe;
O penance, pray, my newborn heart deceive.

Author's Note:

All good things must come to an end, my friends. While this is not the end of my writing Pony, this seems likely to be my final Pony micro-tale. As such, with the publication of this poem, I am marking Stuck In The Middle With You as complete.

Please allow me to explain this poem's connection to Pony. This originally appeared in April 2020's inaugural Shakespeare Writeoff. I wanted to write something in the form and style of a Shakespearean sonnet, but what came to mind was not purely original. Instead, this taps into the emotional state of a character at the end of To Serve In Hell, my long-running thriller set in the Nightmareverse seen in the Season 5 finale. Suffice it to say, if you've read the story, you'll know who might be carrying around a "Victory's Lament" like this by the end. This is her afterword. It's not meant to be hopeless, but to capture her ongoing struggle between hope and oblivion. Let's pray she finds her way.

During the Writeoff, this also inspired a very cool piece of art by GroaningGreyAgony called Shades of Conquest:

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THE END