Endarken - Henrietta

Henrietta
---------

That name inspires other images
than an enthusiast might project.
It's true you're a literary vampire,
greedily feeding on the words you read,
but you nurture and protect -

Where another would stalk and plot, to select
another choice piece of meat,
another choice piece of flesh,
to pierce and tear to shreds, unless
garlic, crucifix, mallet and stake
or such fickle fate as may arrive to bring
a raging inferno, public display or the
impending light of the dawn of a new day
come to tear them from their hapless victim -
a metaphor for these words we say. 

They are those who cheat, who lie with deceit,
who moan and sweat to manipulate words so sweet
to words that bait, to sate their lust for hate,
our words spoken in trust become words spoken too late
to take back, make better, perfect to the letter,
edit, tittilate or fetter;
till we've retracted all the worth in our verse, 
and escaped the vampires curse.

No longer will I fraternise with those,
their coin is lies, their eyes bright with the emotion
sucked from a million words, a million thoughts, a
potent potion in a melting pot of value traded, our
collaborative effort faded, for in trust they're cast
but faithless, reshaped - but when the air is rife with
souls soaring to the great heights that I've seen 
you at this very night.. we are indeed safe, from
those who would cause pain or grief, we can indeed
strive to those heights reach for with 
angels and enthusiasts to guide our way and light our path
the true artists amongst us will be emancipated at last.

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