I met a man along the road
And crooked was his smile
Crooked were the steps he took
Along his crooked miles
His arms were long, his fingers too
Though neither pointed straight
His legs were like two twisted ropes
And cause his crooked gait
He flashed a crooked grin at me
And bared his crooked teeth
He wore a crooked coat of black
and no shirt underneath
His body was a twisted mess
Jutting all around
His crooked bones rattled and cracked
As he shuffled ‘cross the ground
“And to where do you go?” His crooked voice rasped
I pretended not to hear
“Answer me my new young friend,
There’s nothing for you to fear.”
“I do not know,” I whispered back
“I know not where I roam.
but I know life lies ahead,
and behind me lies my home.”
“And where are your friends?” he asked of me
A crooked gleam in his eye.
“They did not want to come,” I said.
“I never did learn why.”
“My boy that’s cause they do not care,
You’re not worth caring for!
Look at you; useless, dumb
Weak, ugly, and poor.”
“Well how far have you come?” he asked.
“13 years,” I said
“Only 13?!” his broken voice creaked
“Oh, you’re sure to end up dead.”
“Better men have walked here than you,
More experienced, and with more help.
They died here alone, and so too will you.
You’re an insignificant whelp.”
_____________
I tried to ignore him, really I did
I fought back against all his lies.
But one cruel blow, on one cruel night
I looked straight in the Crooked Man’s eyes.
Then before I could scream
My heart broke at the seem
And I felt an unyielding pain
My insides were hollow
Mouth too dry to swallow
I begged, “Please, make it stop!”
So he took out a brand
And placed it in my hand
“Burn it out of your skin.”
Then he watched with a smile
Relaxed for a while
As my agony tickled his ears
Though I did as he bade
He took out a blade
“Not enough, try harder my boy!”
But the blade and the brand
One in each hand
Could not purge the sorrow within
So covered in scars
Beneath all the stars
The rest of my life began
I fell to my knees as the crooked man laughed
He placed a crooked hand on my head
“Ignorant boy,” he said with some joy
“You’re mine until you’re dead.”
____________
For five long years we walked together
Every night a repeat of the first
And when others would pass, I’d smile and laugh
They never knew I was cursed
Then one fateful night the Crooked Man said
“You’ve grown so dull and so dry!”
He gave me the knife and said, “End your life.”
“I believe its past time that you die.”
I placed the knife against my neck
And felt the familiar blade
Just one more cut, like all the rest
And my tortured life would fade
I closed my eyes then took a breath
And felt myself let go
But right before I did the deed
My broken heart said…”no”
“no” I said, then “No” I growled
Then “NO!” I screamed and screamed!
I threw the knife into the dirt
And doused the brand that gleamed
I turned toward the Crooked Man
His smile had withered away
“Pick that up you worthless cur!”
He tried his best to say
I charged at him with all I had
We fell hard into the mud
“You’ll never win,” he grunted, “You’re weak!
You’ve lost far too much blood!”
“I have a home you wicked thing!
Some friends and a family too!
And I’ll never die, nor even try
If it means they’re left with you!”
_____________
I still wrestle with the crooked man
And sometimes he almost wins
But I refuse to lose to him
nor surrender to his whims
“I’ll never let you go,” I say,
“Or let you get ahead.
Because you filthy sack of sin
You’re mine until you’re dead.
I attempted to use a switch in the rhyme scheme and the meter to add a feeling of speed and desperation to the middle. It was kind of an experiment so let me know if you like it. As always, thank you for taking the time to read, I hope my story helps those of you who have met the crooked man on your own journey. - ES