The Shadows Of My Past Poem by rashmi pradeep kumar

The cell doors clanged shut,
And my fate was sealed for a long time to come..
Imprisoned within the bleak four walls,
I screamed for justice.
But all that came out was a whimper,
A muted cry of rage,
And.. Defeat..

But my spirit refused to die.
Through the dark alleys, and,
Dimly lit corridors, I see them come;
Drooping shoulders and slow gait
Silently, floating towards me..
They, who had wronged me.

'Justice' was a mere term
Twisted, in accordance to money and power;
That realization came too late..
As I stood in the witness stand..
Helpless.. Hopeless..

Days.. weeks.. months, all passed by
in a blur..
A lifeless body imprisoned within
those bleak walls..
But my mind was fully alert,
planning my revenge on those
who wrecked my family.. My life..

Every time I closed my eyes,
That horrible scene played before me..
Our dream house and the beautiful pool
behind it,
Had turned into a grotesque
murder site overnight..

I found my sister in the hall,
lying in a pool of blood..
A broken, bloodied vase near her head..
Not far from her lay my little brother,
hugging his beloved toy..
Peacefully sleeping..
Only.. His throat had been brutally slit..

I ran from room to room.. Searching for my parents..
Finally I ran to the pool.. Where I saw them..
Bloated up.. On the surface of the pool..
Floating gently, like flotsam..



All this, because I chose to raise
my voice against injustice..
My conscience refused to let me remain
a mute witness..
To the rape and murder of a close friend..
And in return, I was left with this
brutal massacre on my hands..

The law turned against me..
The keepers of justice,
became my foes..
A mourning victim became
a ruthless criminal.. An outlaw.
Hunted and hounded by the law..

But all was not lost..
There still remained the fire of revenge
Raging uncontrollably, inside me..
My mind plotting the kill..
Planning, how to extract the price
of their actions, from them.

It was my last night inside that dreary cell..
My mind, a bundle of tumultuous emotions..
The promise I made to my family,
had to be fulfilled..
Only then could they rest in eternal peace.

The next day dawned,
clear and bright..
I stepped out into the world,
which labeled me a killer.. A psychopath.
But my mind was completely numb.

The series of murders rocked the city;
Three men of power and position
Murdered in cold-blood.
One was hacked, another's throat slit
And the last one was drowned in his pool.

That night.. I lay down,
a lightness in my heart.
The shadows of my past had been put to rest.
Justice had been served
And my family's death, avenged.
It was time...
I closed my eyes..
In eternal sleep.