The Final Voyage

The Final Voyage

In the nether world, eternal night
reigns without break of coming day.
It is a place that has no light;
time’s lost its hold, it has no sway.

It’s to this distant place I go,
unwillingly. I have no choice.
I’m caught up in the undertow
of one last breath without a voice.

I cross the Stix, beneath the gaze
of hell’s Charon, a final voyage.
He navigates the dark world’s maze
protecting from the undead’s rage.

The lost souls circle. Pleading eyes
look hungrily at what once was;
their forlorn hope - to gain reprise
from their conviction by hell’s laws.

The ferryman continues on,
his eyes ablaze within his face
for he awaits a coming dawn
whose light will never see this place.

At last, I hear waves on a shore
where river and the darkness blend.
I ask Charon, “One question more;
a new beginning or the end?”

A look of anguish flashes bright.
His answer fills my heart with fear.
“We are the masters of our plight.
Each choice we made has led us here.

Search your heart and it will show
the answers that you seek to know."

An entry for Round 28, "Invalid Item" 
Prompt: Image (see above)
Form: Quatrain  
Line Limit: 60
Line Count: 30