As you all know, I love writing stories, but what you didn't know is that occasionally, I like to write the odd poem here and there. What you are about to read is a Persona poem I wrote. For those that don't know, a Persona poem is when the author writes from the perspective of someone else. This ended up be longer than I thought it was going to be, but I hope you all like it!
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Genji, to Hanzo
I remember that day, brother.
You gave me a sword and said
That you had to kill me, simply
Because I refused to be involved
In what our family did for a living.
Our mother would have cried,
Had she been alive to see us.
I remember our fight lasted a while
Before your sword sheathed itself in my chest.
When I fell, you stood over me, brother,
And watched as my life bled away
Onto the familiar wooden floor.
To you, I was dead, but to the world,
My time was not yet complete.
I remember bright lights and muted voices
Hanging over me as I drifted towards and away
From death, my body weightless and numb.
When I finally awoke, brother, and saw my
New altered self, I knew that nothing would
Ever be the same for me again.
I remember fighting for the world, brother,
But I was also fighting myself, and the
Thing I had become, by people who thought
They had done me a favor by turning my body
Into a living weapon that served their needs.
I remember leaving and searching for years
For the meaning of my new life, brother.
When I finally found a teacher, I rebuked
Him, as he was a machine in the shape of
A man, and what could I hope to learn
From a being such as himself?
I remember my teacher pursuing me, brother,
Until I agreed that he could help me learn
How to understand and accept my new self.
He was patient and kind to me, even when
I became frustrated and snapped at him,
As he knew that it was not he that I was
Truly angry with, but with you.
I remember cursing you one night, brother.
Alone in my guestroom, I cursed you and
Your foolish need to follow our family,
Which has caused me to become a literal
Shell of my former self, I cursed you.
By the time my teacher came to offer
Comfort, I had broken myself and laid
Upon the floor in a position reminiscent
Of how I’d been when you thought
You had killed me, crying through shut eyes.
I remember being able to learn
Better after that night, brother.
I followed what my teacher taught
And I grew to become a better
Person, both physically and mentally.
I came to accept what I was now,
What I had been, and what I wanted
To become. I finally felt whole again.
I remember bidding my teacher a farewell,
And going off to search for you, brother.
When I saw you again after so many years,
I was shocked that you were by yourself,
No longer tied to the family you had served.
Written on your face amidst your age was
Immense sorrow and guilt of your past actions,
And your self-hatred gave off a potent stench.
I remember wanting to approach you, brother.
But you left before I could even take a step.
I could see now that I had a new goal in life.
While I had moved on, you had yet to find
A way to do so, and now you were the one
Who felt lost, alone, and broken. It was
My turn to teach another to be whole.
When we see each other again, know this:
I remember, brother. And I forgive.
(Characters Genji and Hanzo are from the video game Overwatch and are owned by the video game company Blizzard)
