Morning’s first pierce of light brings sudden cease to all who rests
Honey golden drops of sun sent over frosted harvests.
A wooden stage, its beams still damp,
The rope from which it hangs, to cramp
The time has come, to face the test
To face my fears that may protest
A solemn silence hangs in the icy wind
Cold and stony skin covers those who’ve not sinned
The air still soaked in morning dew
My tested values still held true
The time has come, to stand for kin
To stand to church and those within
A gruff word calls, my words submit
For want that hope, again, is lit
The local robins remain mute
My final stance, my last refute
The time has come, my teeth I grit
The time has come, for it is writ
Authors Note:
I wrote ‘Martyr’ after reading ‘The Crucible’. ‘The Crucible’, based on real events and characters, is about the Salem witch hunts and a man’s refusal to lie and claim guilty to witch even when the confession would save his life. He believed his false confession would taint those who’d already died for truth. His death came at a time when civilians had begun to doubt the Church and its accusations. His good name in the village meant his death provoked a change in the village’s attitude and started the end of the executions. Of course there was more to the story but it was the importance of honouring truth and values that I mostly took from it.
