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The Hamartia of Esteem by Stewart Stafford
A clash of Roses has seared these temples grey,
The brash cur pack supplanting divinity's place,
Nightshade words aimed at codpiece not the face,
Inquisition's gauntlet strikes this judgement day.
A death warrant marked by slander's inked stain?
Scarred by a caricatured actor's grasping fear?
In a groundless play for a groundling's sneer?
Mannequin tyrant in a jailer playwright's disdain?
Time shall be your confessor and guide,
A guest casting stones at yourself in haste,
Purifying my beloved's fair hand, debased,
Redeem her undoing at a vengeful rabble's side.
© 2025, Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.
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