The 99 Poem Challenge
Fox-Trot-9
84. Virelai Ancien — The Quick & the Dead
Who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
—1 Peter 4:5
The truest goodness burns inside
The hearts of those who never hide
Behind the veil
Of cowards who have testified
Against the innocent and lied,
Sending to jail
(Even to death) upon a tide
Of circumstantial lies applied
To a tall tale—
Sweet lies embellished, amplified
To redirect the wrongs implied
On a rigged scale.
But even when your virtues fail
To clear you from gossip's telltale
Accusation,
Please, don't you fear and don't bewail
Your fate upon the judge's rail
Of damnation,
Nor seek the temporary bail,
Nor trust the lawyer's cruel blackmail
For probation,
Nor testify for your avail
To ease your sentence for the sale
Of moration. *
In this world of deprecation
Built upon the false foundation
Of evidence,
Linked together in causation
With a chain of false quotation
On your offense,
Do not fall into frustration
With the hardships of your station
Of your defense.
Seek instead to thwart temptation
For a smooth adjudication
At your expense.
Far greater than your common sense
To have your punishments condense,
You are allied
With God's protecting recompense
Against the hearsay of pretense,
Despite how wide
Or strong, convincing or immense
The grip of bias can dispense
Against your side,
The truth will come out; judgement thence
Will clear the stagnant lies so dense
When I decide.
(To be continued...)
A/N: The virelai ancien is a French form of poetry made of a sequence of 3-line components, rhymed: aab, thus making 6-line stanzas or 9-line stanzas or 12-line stanzas; in each of these, the aa-lines rhyme with each other and have eight syllables, while the b-lines rhyme with each other and have four metrical syllables. In the next stanza, the longer lines rhyme with the shorter ones of the preceding stanza, while the shorter ones introduce a new riming group. In the last stanza, the shorter lines in the last stanza must rhyme with the longer rhymes in the first stanza.
* Moration = (n.) a delaying tarrying; a delay.
Meter: Octosyllabic & tetrasyllabic
Rhyme: aabaabaabaab bbcbbcbbcbbc... ccxccxccxccx xxaxxaxxaxxa
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The 99 Poem Challenge (Fox-Trot-9) ✓
PoesíaGenre: Poetry. Summary/Credits: This poem collection is for Warrior_Prophet's 99 Poem Challenge. Special thanks to cristinaaragon for making the book cover. All poems in this collection comprise of different poetry styles. Hope you enjoy! ( ^_^ ) St...
