Can you guess who I'm talking about? If you guessed, when? There are clues, if you've read and recall the passages relating to him. All will be revealed at the end.


I stand by him:

Master, friend and king in one:

Yes, I stand by him.

Look at me now, clutching the metal,

Watching a sword grow near

And tell me: did I deserve this?

I stood by him

This is his response

His repayment

In the form of an executioner.

I was hard, perhaps

And I rebelled, once.

But tell me, pray tell me,

Did I deserve this?

I killed, but that was war.

I killed, to protect him.

I defied, to protect him.

Always, to protect him.

And for that, I was given this.

Did I deserve this?

I am a different man to him, I know

And he hates those who love him.

I do everything for him

I killed his enemies

He hated me.

I defied his foolish orders

He hated me.

And yet, I ask again:

Did I deserve this?

I stand by him still

Though he is now dead.

He wrote, after all, of a resurrection.

I stand by him

No matter what.

I earned his hatred

Protecting him from himself.

Did I deserve this?

I rebelled, once, I will say

Was that what caused—this?

I killed in time of peace

He who schemed to bring my king down.

My king said it was revenge

Perhaps it was, in part

But still—

Did I deserve this?

I killed a traitor, a man who delayed too long.

I killed, for him

He said that traitor

Was a better man than I.

Yet did I deserve this?

I stand by him

But please understand

I earned his hatred

By protecting my king.

Did I deserve this?

And now it has come.

I die at the altar

At the hands of his executioner

But tell me, I beg you,

Did I deserve this?


The character who I am writing about here is...

...any guesses?...

...Any at all?...

The character is Joab, David's commander.

I don't know about you, but most of what I see about him is vilifying him. And I don't think that's reasonable. He was a hard man, but almost all of his actions can be excused in the form of his protecting David (the big bad one that I cannot find an easy explanation for is the supporting of Adonijah).

I hope you enjoyed, and please review. I got a little frustrated at the number of people who hate Joab, and the first three lines just appeared in my head, so I wrote it.

Please tell me how to improve this; I'm not very good at poetry.

This poem is crossposted to Wattpad.

Once again, review, please!