Gladiator

 I call upon you to duel in the ring

I am the Champion, you mighty King

Unsheathe your sword and swing

At me, with all the might you could bring

I challenge you; all your wrath on me to fling

Hurl destruction from your bow and sling

You are no match for my powerful swing

You will cower before me, your might a trivial thing

As I salute Death; your neck I’ll wring

The song of Freedom, I will proudly sing

To Elysium I fly, and unfurl my wings

Maxwell O’Reilly

The Wedding Ring

 Her eyes did not see, did not weep

When death lulled him to eternal sleep

His dreams drowned in a bed of death

Her ears did not catch his last breath

She did not see the anguish, the despair

That no one’s heart should ever bear

His tears, the last snows of a dream

When she ripped his heart at the seams

She took the Sun away and the moon

Broken Stars lay on his grave strewn

Stars the knit together to mend his heart

To form wings, eager to depart

To join the Sun and the Moon in embrace

To be at last together in a happier place

Maxwell O’Reilly