The Cost Of Revenge Poem by David Welch

My blood ran cold
when my grandpa told
the story you're about to hear
of moral laws
broke by great grandpa,
that would bring all involved to tears.

It was one day
in seventy-eight,
I was a young buck of eighteen,
I felt in love,
it had bit me tough,
as it so often does to teens.

He sat me down
then he looked around
to ensure that we were alone,
Then said to me,
"Mick, don't ever cheat,
it brings pain that you do not know."

I felt unnerved
when I head those words,
you don't talk with grandpas this way,
but he looked stern,
and would speak his turn
so he started then to explain:

"To me, my pa
was just like a God,
and the neighborhood thought the same,
A lawyer rich
but like that he'd switch
to a family man, kind and tame.

"Was filled with cheer,
always volunteered
when it was needed at the church,
seemed like a saint,
our only complaint,
was that he spent much time at work.

"He did things right
working late at night,
mama said he did it for us.
it would be years
before all was clear,
and I understood the true cause.

"I turned fifteen
and an awful scene
greeted me one day after school.
My ma just cried
my father had died
struck down by a heart-attack cruel.

"The whole town mourned
we all felt forlorn,
a great hollow that none could fill,
but dad left cash
quite enough to last,
so at least could we pay the bills.

"The funeral
was so very full,
but I saw, strangely, near the back
a youngish girl,
in familiar curls,
maybe twelve years of age, if that.

"My mind was piqued,
and I went to seek
whoever could this child be?
But a woman
led the little one
away from the sad scene quickly.

"I shrugged it off,
focused on the loss,
the ceremony was so grave.
We buried dad,
and we all felt bad,
leaving him in the earth to lay.

"At the right date
I did graduate,
first high school, then from college too.
I got hired
to design tires,
for an auto company new.

"It had good pay,
and I soon did date,
that was in nineteen thirty-four
I met a girl
with familiar curls,
not knowing I'd seen her before.

"She was quite tall,
no blemish at all,
with eyes a cerulean blue,
And I fell hard,
she shined like a star,
all the world seemed hopeful and new.

"So we got drinks,
I could barely think,
not long before I felt her hand
dance in my palms,
I was so turned on,
her touch would bewitch any man.

"And yes, I know
they all say go slow,
but by then the die had been cast,
was my first time,
and I paid no mind
to the thoughts of moving too fast.

"It was a race
going to my place,
our emotions out of control,
went for the bed
and my lust-filled head
focused only on it's one goal.

"Our clothes were tossed,
they were soon half-off
when she froze and gave me a stare,
In all my time
never had my mind
ever gazed upon such despair.

"Her face a fright,
she cried, 'It ain't right! '
Then she leapt up and grabbed her shirt.
I didn't move,
I was so confused,
made no move to go after her.

"When she ran out
it left me in doubt,
had I done something I should not?
I pondered it,
but gained not a whit,
didn't matter how hard I thought.

"I'll plainly say
all of the next day
it weighed heavily on my mind,
so I went home
to my flat alone
and was shocked by what I did find:

"A woman there
with long, graying hair,
gad broken in and taken a seat.
She did smile,
but it seemed vile,
and was directed straight at me.

"She said, 'Hello,
myself you don't know,
though your father knew me quite well.
Alas, he's dead,
so I choose instead
to bring his son a living hell.' "

"I was quite lost,
but then she popped off,
‘Don't you know I was his mistress?
And you dead dad
did something quite bad,
he gave me his damn syphilis!

" ‘It played its part
and destroyed his heat,
but it was far too late for me.
But much, much worse
then my own damn hurt,
it got passed on to our baby!

" ‘It's doomed her life,
and it's just not right,
since he promised to leave his bride,
but oh, he failed,
and let me to wail
left both of us alone to die.

" ‘Could not strike him,
but he still has kin,
two children that he proudly claimed,
So my revenge
to his son I send,
soon, like me, you'll be insane.

" ‘See my daughter,
you're so fond of her
that you surrendered to your lust.
And syphilis
is so relentless,
now you are just as doomed s us! ' "

"She cackled hate,
it all snapped in place;
the girl I'd met the night before!
It all made sense,
why from me she went
running frantically out the door!

"A half-sister,
what I'd done with her…
and the line that we'd almost crossed…
Then the way she
had chosen to flee,
showed that her conscience was not lost.

"It all unfurled,
the familiar curls,
my little sister had them too!
And in her grin,
and her sculpted chin…
I knew all I'd been told was true.

"And then I turned,
my mind truly burned
said, 'What kind of a sick mother
would go coerce
a child of hers
to sleep with her own half-brother? !

" ‘You are a fool,
and a mother cruel,
no matter what my father did!
To prostitute,
and try to pollute,
and to do it with your own kid? ! '

"And she did say,
‘To make that man pay
I'd go much further than all that.'
So I declared,
‘Then you should despair,
since our evening did go off track.

" ‘Your daughter ran,
so your vile plans
were foiled before they could start!
And your evil
unable to kill
the virtue that lay in her heart.' "

"On hearing this
both her eyes did twitch,
she screamed loud and pulled out a knife.
He change was swift,
I made a quick shift
and found myself fighting for life.

"She slashed so quick,
I nearly got nicked,
she clearly meant to make me dead.
I grabbed a lamp
and swung like a champ,
smashing it clear across her head.

"Called the police,
they showed up quickly,
clearly saw it was self-defense,
I told the tale
and then I did wail,
‘Please find where my half-sister went! ' "

"It seemed to me
that this tragedy
could not get that much worse than this,
but just past four
they did find her corpse,
she had thrown herself off a cliff.

"By old Route One
she had gone and flung
herself to the gorge far below,
saw no escape
from her awful fate,
decided on that way to go.

"After all this
life seemed quite amiss,
Took many months to work it out,
this secret cold,
family not told,
I did not share this all out loud.

"Ma and sister
never heard a word,
went to their graves praising my dad,
a lie, I know,
but bringing them low
did feel to me equally bad.

"But I felt rage
for his sinful ways,
and the costs that they did extract:
Two people dead
because he mislead…
You can't get away from the fact.

"Not many years
passed before more tears,
penicillin came, thankfully
the syphilis
that made all amiss
could be killed now quite easily.

"And that's what hurts,
made it all feel worse,
she could be with us here and now,
a life unlived,
and what could she give
if a few more years were allowed.

"All was cut down
by a hatred crowned
with a mad craving for pay-back,
two lives destroyed,
and I just avoid
being killed by the slash and hack.

"I knew it seems
like a thing obscene,
a decadent, soap-opera feat,
but it's our past,
so I now am tasked
telling you why you must not cheat."

I was so shocked
but then I took stock
of the look in my grandpa's eyes,
And understood
that his word was good,
that, in truth, he had almost died.

Now he has passed,
but the truth still lasts:
betrayal has a heavy price.
I tell you, son,
do not be the one
who's caught stepping out on your wife.

Don't be untrue
or you will undue
whatever good in life you build.
Don't trust to rage,
such unbridled hate
will only leave you unfulfilled.

It now makes sense
why God claims vengeance,
your whole life will it rend and break.
To seek revenge
leads to a bad end
it's a thing we should all forsake.