He wrenched open the door

And stalked away

Unable to find words

He needed to say

The guilt overwhelmed him

Crushed him like a vice

And yet to be kind

Would cost such a price

He was not a man

For kindness and care

And yet still she stayed

In the flat with him there

Despite all the violence

The sorrow and pain

Despite the fact that she knew

It would happen again

Despite all this she loved him

Did he love her too?

Or was this a union

She someday would rue?

She knew not the answer

And no more so did he

The pair of them locked

In destructive unity

It was not impossible

The crime he committed

It suited his nature

Not at all acquitted

But the deed it was done

His clothes stained with blood

He'd walked weary miles

Skin flecked with mud

No matter how far he went

Nor how heavy his tread

The feeling of guilt

He could not shed

He was not a man accustomed to pain

And yet poor Nancy he had slain

He was filled with an overwhelming guilt

Because of the blood he so wrongly spilt