The Deal

On By Veera


A set of tankas(and reverse tankas)

There once lived a man,
The king of shadows,
Armed with the power
To manipulate darkness
And channel its ghastly gloom.

It flowed within him
Like blood, a terrible force
That consumed his soul,
Yet never controlled his mind
Nor influenced his actions.

Although he survived
In comical poverty,
He desired not once
A life of great luxury,
Chose one of simplicity.

Chose to live in peace,
In solitude and quiet,
Away from a world
Of violence and bloodshed,
Agony and avarice.

Until, one fine day,
The devil chose to visit,
Although reluctant
To conversate, he harked still
Whispers he’d never forget.

A deal the devil proposed,
A life of love and laughter
For dormant power.
“I’d endure extreme hardship
And exist in penury,

Yet I will not relinquish
Rule over the dusk-dyed skies
To one of evil,
Driven by dreadful malice,
A creature of hell.

That night, though moonless
Was strikingly radiant,
For ‘twitnessed in joy
The retreat of the devil,
Defeated by its own.

-The Forgers of Fantasy

This has been penned for DVerse Poetics, where poets were asked to pen poems about good and evil. You can access the prompt at https://dversepoets.com/2022/09/27/poetics-the-good-and-the-evil/

For more such poems,refer The Forgers of Fantasy

16 thoughts on “The Deal”

  6. There are aspects of the man who controls darkness that seem contradictory, which makes me want to know more about how he came to have such power, and how he could have it yet keep the rest of his being pristine. I’m glad he chose to withhold access of his domain to a devil.

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