Rurouni Soujiro: Boku no Seikatsudou
("The Wanderer Soujiro: My Way of Life")
By: Amy Nguyen
The northern breeze blows
A new life ahead.
Thus I will journey
Wherever the wind takes me.
I remember back then
How I was tortured
By those who were my "family".
Then that man came
And taught me his way
I told him I smiled to hide my pain
That if I smile,
I would be spared.
I told him it was because of them
That I am this weak.
"Nonsense," says he
"No one can 'make' you what you are…
It's your own fault
That you are weak."
Then I realized
What a total fool I was
And that the only way to live
Was his way
Thus I slaughtered them all
My so-called 'family'
With no remorse of any kind
Just save for a smile
In the ice cold rain.
"The weak must die
And be food for the strong."
With those words engraved
Deep within my stone cold heart
I followed my new master
Becoming his loyal servant
Ever since that day
I lived a bloody life
Killing those who opposed my master
Do I feel any pain? None.
All that remains
Is this empty shell
Save for that same smile
Upon my emotionless face.
Though this new found life
Was abruptly changed
By he who opposed my master most
The infamous killer of the past
The predecessor of my master
A man once of the history of murder
Now a mere wanderer
Clinging to life, 'repenting' his sins
Who lives only for one purpose:
The protection of the weak.
How I hated this man,
This defiant dog of false hope
His very presence
Threatened my very own.
"I will defeat him,"
Told my master did I
As he grants me his blessings
Believing in my abilities.
I then fought against him
Some reason he's not easily phased
But that worried me not
For he cannot defeat me.
The more I fought,
The more he bled,
The more I felt annoyed.
Not just by his persistence,
Or his way to life,
But he himself angers me.
"If you say
you protect the weak…
Where were you back then!"
With the images of the past
Blinding me with anger
Making it easier
For him to read my movements
Yet he says
As calmly as he was annoying
"This one does not know
What happened 'back then'
But is it's not too late
Can there be another chance?"
All of a sudden
In a flash of anger
Now I recall that very night
In the ice cold rain
Smiling, I was
Yet… CRYING as well?
I WAS CRYING!
This reality infuriated me
Giving me the determination
In killing this dog,
Once and for all,
In one final strike.
Yet he proved me wrong
As I was oh so horribly defeated
"Impossible", I whispered
This power he had
Where was it from?
From his strong will to protect?
I must know where!
How is this possible?
Thus I asked,
"Then your way must be right?"
"No," says he,
"The answer cannot
Be determined by battles
But rather over a lifetime
With on atoning
For one's own sins."
That man's words brought me to tears
True genuine tears
That cannot be found
In an empty shell
But rather a frightened boy
Who found his protector.
I have served my master
And now understood my protector
Now I am free
Free to journey on my own path
Like those two before me
Free to find my own answer
I actually enjoy this new life better
So peaceful and quiet
No murder or pain,
No death or suffering.
Just a carefree life
Like a carefree breeze
The breezes continues to blow
How I enjoy this feeling
A long path ahead
With every step I take
I come closer
To my way of life.