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

Elysian Fields

 Untouched by sorrow or gloom

The Elysian Fields before me loom

The shade of death no longer shrouds

My bright wings , soaring toward the clouds

Flower of gold blazing in splendor

My shattered heart echoes render

The Hall of Heroes a blessed abode

My blood like crimson glowed

To bathe in sunlight in a wondrous stream

Is this my end or a beautiful dream?

I washed away the blood and tear

Proud Death, I no longer fear

No snow, no storm or even rain

Safe from hardship, free from pain

The ocean laps gently at my feet

My heart no longer beats

I hear no song, a mournful dirge

As the waves crash and surge

I long for her touch, music of her lute

She does not hear; my song is mute

I see her dancing across the shore

Where the living, the dead ignore

My heart shatters again when she smiles

It was not meant for me in a while

I have to let go of the ring

That seared my heart and broke my wing

Reckoning comes, the Lion yields

My home forever the Elysian Fields

Maxwell O’Reilly

Eagle and Hunter

 The Eagle and the Hunter

Upon the lofty rock lay his nest

The wind blew and ruffled his breast

Desolate, he flew toward the dying West

Drops of red adorned his chest

The Hunter pursued trying to kill

His gun aimed, he fired at will

More sacred blood intent to spill

His heart froze like winter’s chill

With wings spread and a mighty scream

The Eagle glowed, his pain supreme

Was cast upon nature as if in a dream

Lunged for the Hunter tearing at the seems

Panic hit the Hunter as he saw

The bloody feathers extend and glow

He stared directly into the Eagle’s maw

Saw his death coming, with a sudden yaw

The Eagle knocked the gun at his feet

Transformed into a holy majestic beast

The Hunter cowered now he is the feast

Implored the Eagle to spare him at least

The Eagle struck with a mighty claw

Talons tearing was the last he saw

Beware of my wrath and jaw

I am not your trophy, that is the law

Maxwell O’REILLY

Vulture

 The rage of a Vulture, when she is denied

The corpse she coveted will not subside

She is Death hovering on swift wings

To devour me whole and swing

Her mighty unfeathered head

A wake alighted where I had bled

A broken heart, ripped to shreds

Mixed with the feathers she constantly sheds

Beaks tearing through flesh and bone

My bleeding heart turned into stone

The Vulture shrieked and flew up high

Wings flapped, pummeled nearby

Earth wet with blood, turned dry

Went up in flames, licked the sky

I am not your meal to devour

I am the voice of the wind, the power

My wrath will set the world aflame

Death will tremble when she hears my name

In her eyes I saw fear, regret

When she saw hell in my gaze, she wept

Her golden eyes abashed to behold

The Resurrection of a Hero once foretold

She flew in my wake once my wings

Unfurled, Death now has met her King

Maxwell O’REILLY

Silence

 The night mourns with tears of dew

The morn bleeds its glorious hue

The darkness wore its ashen cloak anew

The sea raged and giant waves

Turned my ship into a watery grave

Her consuming wrath I brave

Wanton destruction around me looms

Every heartbeat is a stroke of doom

A beating heart is now a silent tomb

Will a shower of rain revive the land

Upon the mountain peak I stand

Lay my broken heart upon your hand

I fear not death; I fear your tears

Salty drops that my heart sear

Will my wings unfurl this year

Carry me away where I belong

I’m tired of this broken song

Tired of being strong

While my wings are broken and my heart is shattered, apart

You held the pieces from the start

It cannot be glued just by a kiss

Fairy tales and a touch of bliss

Do you want to know what I really miss?

Silence…

Maxwell O’Reilly

Tribute

 They said he acted alone

They said he was troubled

A low broken moan

Has now doubled

Felt her sticky blood

On my trembling hand

Young as a flower bud

No, I don’t understand

Why her life ended in pain

When she was the joy

A school shooting again

When she still played with toys

Why my classmate had a gun?

All I have is a book

I cannot see the Sun

When all hid in a nook

Children around me screaming

Scared to death

Some said goodbyes

In their last breath

A bullet ricochet

hit my head

When the count started

They said he was dead

Still holding his friend’s hand

I died, still did not understand

Why you carry a gun to school?

Where books and laughs

should be the rule

Maxwell O’Reilly