Medieval Lit Project 2

Regret Is Redeemed 

Regret looked at his diploma and saw his life as a failure. 

Nothing more than a willow tree that was  

Blown down during a storm in the dead of night. 

So, he grabbed a black bottle off his messy floor  

And felt its rough, cool-crisp surface  

As he smelt the foul odor from within.  

Regret brought the bottle to his lips, 

Knowing that this was a one-way street  

And that there was no turning back, 

As he tasted the bittersweetness of the whiskey.   

That’s when he heard Death’s Dream calling out to him  

With his Whiskey Lullaby, beckoning him to join the afterlife. 

Regret reached out for Death’s Dream hand,  

He could feel his worries, troubles, and fears 

Washing away like a wave upon the sand.   

Death’s dream smiled as he took Regret’s hand  

And lead him to the afterlife.  

Right before they reached the gates to the afterlife, 

Regret hears a familiar voice in his head,  

Telling him not to go with Death’s Dream. 

It’s Love calling out to him, trying to save him.  

Regret stops dead in his tracks, turns away 

From Death’s dream and starts walking the other way. 

Death’s dream reaches out its long boney fingers  

And wraps them tightly around Regret’s body, 

Trapping him with nowhere to run or escape to.   

At that moment, Love appears right before his eyes. 

She’s alone and shaking her head in disappointment, 

Tears roll down her face and onto a grave, 

A grave with the name Regret on it.  

Regret realizes that the grave is his  

And all the memories of him and Love  

Come fluttering back at once. 

He speaks but, she can’t hear him over  

Death’s Dream’s Whiskey Lullaby. 

Regret wants Love to stop crying but, 

He doesn’t know how to save her  

From the pain and sadness of being alone.   

He’s unsure of what he wants now.  

Should he go and save his Love 

Or go into the afterlife with Death’s Dream.   

Both of them are fighting over Regret like 

The little angel and devil on his shoulders.  

Regret never breaks a promise to anyone    

But then Regret remembered his promise to Love,  

So instead of listening to Death’s Dream song, 

He smashes the bottle on the ground.   

Extinguishing Death’s Dream until it’s nothing  

More than a memory of a horrible nightmare.  

Regret muttered to himself, “I won’t hurt myself  

Or anyone every again, especially not you, my Love.  

For I never want to be the reason that you cry.  

I never want to see your face stained with tears.  

I never want you to be alone ever again, for I 

Will stand by your side through thick and thin, 

Protecting you until I take my last breath. 

You are my hero, the light that saved me from the dark. 

For you showed me that there is so much more to life  

Then just Regret. 

Regret is Saved     

Regret ripped the grimy boards down from his windows 

And flung open the tattered curtains,  

Propelling dust everywhere. 

He gathered up all his rough-black whiskey bottles 

Off his messy floor 

And threw them away. 

Shattering their cold-crisp surfaces 

Into the broken shards of Hell.  

The voice of Death’s Whiskey Lullaby 

That once plagued his mind, 

Was GONE. 

Replaced by the sound of the chirping birds, 

The crickets, the babbling brook, and 

The gentle breeze blowing through the trees.   

While the sunlight brought him new hope, 

New life, for a better day 

As he stepped outside into the unknown. 

The sun was blinding, 

But not as blinding as Love’s beauty. 

The light reflected off the river, 

Giving her the stunning appearance of an angel. 

Making her a vison of perfection. 

Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes 

As a smile crept across his face 

At the sight of his beautiful Love 

“You came.” 

Love smiled. 

“Because you chose to live.” 

Regret Is Loved 

Sitting on the front porch, 

Regret and Love 

Watch their baby girl, 

Happiness 

Playing with their pet Angel, 

Filling the air with laughter. 

Death’s whiskey lullaby  

Was a shadow  

Of a past memory,  

Long forgotten  

Ever since Happiness  

Came into their lives. 

Holding Love, 

He smiled.  

“You both saved me.” 

Love laid her head 

On his shoulders. 

“You saved yourself.” 

I chose to do an unessay for my second Medieval and Renaissance literature project.  I took a bunch of poems about regret and put them together.  The poems are called Regret Is Redeemed, Regret Is Saved, and Regret Is Loved.  In each of these poems, I take emotions and turn them into characters like the movie Inside Out.  Through these poems we follow the life of our main character Regret as he battles against Death for his life.  Eventually, Regret was saved with the help of his friends and loved ones, resulting in him living happily ever after.  I got the idea for these poems from a true story I was told.   The story was about someone I knew who went through a very difficult time after graduating from High School.  He started drinking to solve a problem he had, but it just became a new problem for him.  So, I decided to tell the story of his struggles and battles that he had to face before he found the light at the end of the tunnel that saved him.  Next, I’ll talk about how regret relates to the books we’ve read throughout the semester.       

I think Beowulf works well with my Regret poem series.  They both talk about having regrets for something they did and how it affects them.  In the book, Beowulf regrets killing Grendel, his mother, and evading their land for his own personal use.  The poems are about Regret struggling to deal with his inner demons and how he is saved by his friends and loved ones.     

I think The Lais of Marie de France works well with my Regret poem series.  They both talk about having regrets for something they did and how it affects them.  In the book, the werewolf regrets telling his wife where he puts his clothes when he transforms into a wolf. This resulted in him not being able to transform back until the truth was revealed.  Also in the book, the knight regrets breaking his promise to his beloved and telling his comrades about them.  The poems are about Regret struggling to deal with his inner demons and how he is saved by his friends and loved ones.    

I think The Faerie Queene works well with my Regret poem series.  They both talk about having regrets for something they did and how it affects them.  In the book, the knight regrets breaking into a woman’s home and looking upon her and her children in disgust.  The poems are about Regret struggling to deal with his inner demons and how he is saved by his friends and loved ones.  

I think Othello works well with my Regret poem series.  They both talk about having regrets for something they did and how it affects them.  In the book, Othello regrets not believing his wife when she tells him there is nothing going on between her and Cassio.  Othello also regrets killing his wife in the end after falsely accusing her of cheating.  Making up for his mistakes in his mind, by taking his own life.  The poems are about Regret struggling to deal with his inner demons and how he is saved by his friends and loved ones.     

I think American Moor works well with my Regret poem series.  They both talk about having regrets for something they did and how it affects them.  In the book, the actor regrets messing up his chances of getting the role for the play he is going for.  The poems are about Regret struggling to deal with his inner demons and how he is saved by his friends and loved ones.