A Murder of Crows

The sky was blank, blank as the night
The air carried no sound of the living
An eeriness coursed through my veins
The silence was a bit too unnerving.

Like a blackened curse from a depth unknown
Not even the rivers sang their babbling songs
‘Twas not a day so quiet before this
My mind echoed, “something is wrong”

Weaving in the shadows, not a creature near
Hollowness followed in the breeze
Untouched by sunlight, in the darkness still
Silently laid the restful leaves

Until a footfall, I thought I was alone
Was a man, dressed like the dreary night
His eyes empty, his hair dusty blonde
In build he was thin, and tall in height

He carried himself slowly, as if to show
He knew what the day foretold
His soul bared the sins of the earth
This silence the rule of three-fold

I spoke with some reserve, a hesitation
Not knowing of his reply
“What has become of this life of ours?”
I looked deep within his eyes

He arched his brow, and lit a cigarette
Whispered so cold, “Follow me”
Into the shadows we disappeared
And what we saw I was not prepared to see

Like the valley of darkness, before my eyes
Laid a blanket of blackened feathers
Limp they lay like the inherent sight of death
Side by side, they died together

I turned to the man who stood stood so calm
And asked, “what do you know of this?”
He smirked and smiled, and whispered softly
“This, my dear, was death’s silent kiss”

Too afraid to move, I stood frozen in place
Looking over the dead valley of crows
Carnage filtered through the smut filled air
I felt myself being enclosed

“Why did they die? What is this disease?”
The man gave me no answer
“Damn it! Who are you, that came from the night
Eating away at my soul like a cancer?”

“I’m the one you asked to come
To rid the world of the pain
The one who bleed the world of sin
Took the blood of it’s veins”

“I didn’t ask for this. Nothing was supposed to die.”
My body shook, my soul stained and scarred
I knew this was by my malison
By my living lightly, all life died hard

I knelt down and touched the feathery body
Of a blood stained lifeless crow
Picked up this sign of sin and hatred
With every moment my heart grew cold

I held my sin against my dying chest
And tilted my face up towards the sky
I knew why this man was here for me
It was my turn in life to die

I turned towards him with a tear stained face
The poor bird clutched in my hands
I pleaded and begged, “Who has done this?”
I wanted to understand

Again he just smiled, and shook his head
He had no remorse for the weak of living
My eyes dropped down, I knew the answer
And that I was the one, unforgiven

I took a deep breath, and asked again
“Please, this is something I need to know.”
He smiled with a glare, and without hesitation
Said, “It was I that killed the crows.”


“It was I that killed the crows”
Echoed in my head
From a lonesome grave that voice-
Rang; filling me with dread
That in the night, some dreadful plight
My soul to Hell be fed

My eyes felt cold, my limbs were numb
From all that I endured
The memories of the past; like ghosts
In my mind are stored
Like broken will, the terror still
Stuck my every cord

Still that massive sight of death
Reeked in my clouded mind
And echoed still, those sins I made
In a past I left behind
God, could it be, was it me
Could I be so blind

I stood there in silent grace
That shook my soul to cold
That within my hands a fallen bird
A lifeless creature whose soul I stole
And kept instead, within my head
A world no longer whole

I looked upon that man again
Whose grace had fallen short
Whose loveless eyes and mangled hands
Had nothing to impart
That I was the one
To cause the world to fall apart

With a small tear in my eye
I opened my mouth and said
“What is there left to do
When everything is dead;
How much more is there to see
The town’s been painted Red.”

He threw his cigarette to the ground
Looked me in the eyes
“Foolish girl, can’t you see?
It’s your turn in life to die.”
And with that final echo
The birds began to rise

Into the sky flew broken wings
And broken cords rang out
To herald the coming of my end
To rid me of my doubt
I thrust back my head, instead
My voice too weak to shout

I looked upon the sky that grew
Cold and bleak and gray
That shone no signs of forgiveness
As my tears did fade away
That in the night I’d find my peace
In a shallow empty grave

I knelt down beside the man
Who controlled my final breath
And prayed a prayer in all my years
That never heard contempt
For myself whose doom was set
In a watery lonesome depth

Again he spoke with more remorse
Then possible for a reaper
“Come now, child, take this hand
I’ll bring you to your Keeper.”
And as I did, I fell away
Into a Hell so much deeper

As I opened my eyes to the day
I found I was alone
Safe and sound, within my world
Not near a single Stone
That etched out names and dates of death
Of where the body roams

But in my head, I hear those words
That shakes me to my bones
It was by my malison, all life died hard
It was I that killed those crows
And from that sin I felt within
A fire where fury grows