Everything he saw ⁣
merged before his eyes ⁣
But before it merged ⁣
Everything was distant⁣
⁣
Lost in his inner world⁣,
he stood by the riverside⁣
Holding the deadliest sword ⁣
known to mankind⁣
⁣
A boat arrives and he sits⁣
The boatman is smiling ⁣
The warrior is smiling ⁣
So he asks ‘Why?’⁣
⁣
The warrior recollects horrors ⁣
He reflects on his inner demons ⁣
He thinks he slayed them while⁣
slaying millions, the boatman smiled⁣
So again, he asked ‘Why?’⁣
⁣
The boatman asked him to listen⁣,
The splash of the river ⁣
The clean air in his nose⁣
The taste of the tea in his mouth⁣
Everything is connected, he says⁣
⁣
The warrior draws his sword⁣
He knew he didn’t feel this…bliss⁣
All he felt was victory over others⁣
All he feels now is defeat
to not be able to feel⁣ what the boatman felt⁣
⁣
The boatman smiled more ⁣
He asked him to be still and really⁣
listen, see, touch, hear and taste life⁣
The warrior who mastered all emotions⁣
lacked the will to stay still but he tried⁣
⁣
He saw the clouds moving like his thoughts⁣
The river flowing like his bloody veins⁣
The flowers blooming like his endless desires⁣
And the taste of tea reviving his lost soul
⁣
A finger touches the point ⁣
between his eyebrows⁣
and everything he is seeing ⁣
merges before his eyes⁣
⁣
The connection between everything visible⁣
The souls he killed, part of his own⁣
The power he felt, a weakness inside⁣
The sword that slayed millions needed one more to die
⁣
As the realization dawns ⁣
The warrior’s heart grew heavy⁣
In a final act of seeking redemption,⁣
He raised the deadly sword to his own chest⁣
⁣
Blood mingled with the river’s current⁣
A crimson offering for his past deeds⁣
And as his body splashed into the depths below,
He embraced the oneness he never sought⁣
⁣
The river welcomed him,⁣
The embrace gentle yet violent⁣
The boatman watched him merge⁣
into a moment of rare surrender⁣
⁣
And as the ripples faded,
And the river continued its eternal dance
The warrior’s spirit merged with the flow,⁣
A silent surrender to the interconnectedness of all things⁣

NaPoWriMo Day 13: Start by creating a “word bank” of ten simple words. They should only have one or two syllables apiece. Five should correspond to each of the five senses (i.e., one word that is a thing you can see, one word that is a type of sound, one word that is a thing you can taste, etc). Three more should be concrete nouns of whatever character you choose (i.e., “bridge,” “sun,” “airplane,” “cat”), and the last two should be verbs. Now, come up with rhymes for each of your ten words. (If you’re having trouble coming up with rhymes, the wonderful Rhymezone is at your service). Use your expanded word-bank, with rhymes, as the seeds for your poem. Your effort doesn’t actually have to rhyme in the sense of having each line end with a rhymed word, but try to use as much soundplay in your poem as possible.

My wordbank: river, boat, splash, clean air, tea, flower, clouds, sword, reflect, flow.