CROWNED BY BLOOD
The drops are gentle, almost loving, as they wash my blood into the earth where it mingles with the bones of those I destroyed.
It feels like absolution, but I know better. This is not forgiveness, forgiveness is something that must be given, and the dead have no voices left to grant it. This is grief made visible, sorrow given form and substance, the weight of consequence finally settling on shoulders that can barely bear it.
The rain drums against the headstones with increasing intensity, each drop a small percussion in a symphony of loss. My hair comes loose from its simple braid, dark strands clinging to my cheeks and neck. My black dress, already stained with mud and blood, grows heavie