wings of fallen grace

are bestowed upon me with shame

as i fly among shields and swords,

blood shed and souls stained.

too soon i reach the castle

where my objective resides;

where opulent jewels glitter bright

like the dark luster of your eyes.

violet petals, and miniature suns

sink to the carpeted floor;

her beseeches and choked sobs

only spark fire in my core.

but how foolish of me

to become what i've despised

--why, a killer born of spite

can never be justified.

as still now, faint echoes cry

from one's sunlit nightmare

marked by midnight ballads

and drawn from crimson roots.

still now, faint echoes cry

for empathy, no pity

before grey, dimmed stars

unleash, triggered by petrified stone.

still now, faint echoes 

of brothers and sisters

of those close and unknown

are chasing dreams unachieved.

so i lower my arm of steel.

bloodshed is not the answer;

no amount of wine

spilled from glass vials

will sweeten the pain kept in mind.

hatred brings not mourning doves

but a bottomless, jaded void

of blindfolded past designs

of forgotten exiled joys.

yet winter without flourish

cannot blossom tranquil waters;

now is the time for action

before the storming of the altars.

so i remind myself and others

that even in the midst of war

we fight for a good cause

and not the two-faced sword.

  justice is not served on silver platters

but through unseen work and toil;

relentlessly we shall push

in defiance of your rule of royal.

so in broad daylight or shadows

i choose compassion above all, for

no matter what is at stake

the world itself means more.

This took a lot of work, and I never thought I would be writing a poem in this kind of format, since rhyming's pretty restricting. But I'm proud of it, especially with the symbolism. Please let me know what you think!