Before An After Comes Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Not officially announced.
Or have heard to begin.
With an outcome to determine.
Although consciously,
People will choose...
Their doing of misdeeds and evil.
To please a deep seated wickedness.
They seem to feed upon and release,
With an ease to seek the pleasure.
Without thought,
Given to repercussions.
Or why the lusting of this is a must.

Then one day,
This to crave begins to wither away.
Like a red rose losing both color and scent.
Also noticed is that feel good moment.
Planning to stage someone's torment.
Nonstopping it leaves.
And heard is the tick tocking of clock.
Time from them has fast to have passed.
Yet can not block from their minds.
Every detail of their misdeeds.
Done unto others.
A haunting begins to unwind,
Their joyful times of evil found to find.

Before...
So painless it had been,
To inflict misery on others to leave.
After...
A pain felt with regret.
Arrives unexpected.
Returning a payback.
Staying to prolong an uninvited visit.
Ooohhh...
The woe and agony that just won't go.

And then that voice one has inside,
Once successfully ignore.
But now?
The nagging heard will not be denied.

"It just does not pay,
To take time to premeditate...
A doing to others an evil.
Or celebrate an outcome,
Of a plan to deceive.
For reasons to believe
God does not know or see all.
And who is deserving of what,
To eventually receive.

Regardless of the tears.
Regardless of the pleas.
Regardless of the time spent,
Praying for a forgiveness.
On aging bended knees!
When...
Before an after comes,
Those acts to have had performed...
Should not have been done.
To do in the first place.
Thinking them to do would be okay!
And...
Who are you,
Anyway. Hmmm? "