Marked

Marked


The sun was almost setting as Hope ran down the trail.
As she hurried toward her home, she knew that she would fail
to reach its safe enclosure before the day turned black.
Somewhere in the darkness, she fell victim to attack.
No words were ever spoken about that fateful night.
She blocked it from her mind, though within her grew a blight.

The midwife crossed herself at the moment of her birth.
A child born out of wedlock, she had no place on Earth.
Formed in sin, her mother always dressed the child in black.
The only clue, a birth mark, inscribed upon her back.

Her beauty grew and as her eighteenth year grew nearer
the mark expanded each day as she looked in the mirror.
She understood its meaning though she ne'er said a word.
She'd carry conversations that no one ever heard.

The day she turned eighteen, she was no where to be found.
From concern, a search was started. They checked all around.
They found her in the woods. She was torn and crucified.
From the pattern of wounds, her attack came from inside.

Hanging there, her dress no longer acted as a shield;
the fiendish image on her back was at last revealed.
With guarded prayers, a hole was dug and she was covered.
No blessing said, no marker; she'd not be discovered.

There's a place deep in the woods where nothing ever grows.
Whispers became rumors, became legends and it shows
why no one ever goes. What was freed - hell only knows.


Notes

Word Count: 269 words
Line Count: 25
Syllabic Count: 13

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Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise are all equally welcome.

Ken