Rumours of Death

a sonnet

by Jenny Hayward

The only time you let your passion stir Was to avenge the death of someone dear The only woman you had loved - for her You searched and could not find; her death your fear And then you found she lived and you'd been spurned For secret power - she had spied on you! Your rosy vision of her overturned - You killed her - traitor, she had lied to you! You'd always scorned emotion, deemed it weak; You said "Trust was for fools, and fools soon died. And always fatal: the heroic streak. Run if you can; the universe is wide." Revenge and bitterness in you ablaze Dry dust and ashes eating all your days.

Author's note: this was written when I was still in high school, when we were studying sonnets in English. Which means I actually wrote it before I'd heard of fandom. It's not really a great surprise that it was about Avon, though!