A HINTED WISH
Marcus Valerius Martialis (born A.D. 40 in Spain), translated by Samuel Johnson
~o~
You told me, Maro, whilst you live
You'd not a single penny give,
But that, whene'er you chanced to die,
You'd leave a handsome legacy.
You must be mad beyond redress
If my next wish you cannot guess.
"My knees hurt," I protest, "please, let me go."
"That's what we all think," the one in the familiar uniform says, "so no."
~o~
"You're here for your crimes," the other says with a kick to my leg, "for being in this rebellion."
"Am I to die?" I wonder.
"Yes, you bloody hellion."
~o~
I close my eyes and refuse to speak...
What would be the reason?
They say my life is at its peak...
~o~
I dreamed a dream in time gone by...
Of a house in Paris, with pretty flowers...
A bright ball of fiery beauty high in the sky...
And glorious April showers.
~o~
Of my mother, with her flowers and smile,
Of my father, with tobacco smoke curling from his pipe,
Of my sister, who I hadn't seen in a while,
Of the backyard garden, its fruits overripe,
Of my family's house, on a little isle,
Of the walls in the attic, decorated with a single stripe,
Of the little café that I went to, barely farther away than a mile.
~o~
When I open my eyes again, I look across the way,
The only colour I can see is gray.
~o~
It's not from fear, this I know to be true,
I would defend the people without fear, 'til my face was blue.
~o~
The blood courses through my veins more fiercely now...
I thought I would survive this, but now, I don't know how...
When I glimpse the barricade, there's Enjolras, at the prow,
And around him, Les Amis, I won't let you down, this I avow.
~o~
A gun is pressed to my head,
And my heart is almost filled with dread.
I almost wish that I had fled,
Or even to the soldiers that I'd pled.
~o~
There's only another moment of awareness before my soul takes flight,
I pray that you will read this well,
And never give up the fight.
A/N: Well, there you go. I literally wrote this in a very short period of time, making it up as I went. So...yup.