...the adversary!

I brandish my sword with an air of defiance - a picture of arrogance and skill...
Throughout this seemingly endless chase,
I have never caught a glimpse of his face...
I am in pursuit of a villain, an imposter, a foe - I will strike him down, I will kill!

On this nearly infinite, uncharted expanse, I search for clues in the ‘mist’...
Fighting the storms of misery and pain,
I cross this uneven, uncertain terrain...
I will not retreat, nor accept defeat – I will move on; I must persist.

I follow him through the sands of time, and the mirages of uncertainty...
Then, just as I turn another blind bend,
My arduous journey comes to an end...
This is no mere shadow – it is him – I have made my tryst with destiny!

On a night that never ends, we duel – there is rain and there is blood...
And as soon as his weariness begins to show,
I deliver a powerful, lethal blow...
My adversary cries out in despair, in anguish and falls into the mud!

Disarmed, wounded – he is where I want him – I will now see the end of this...
But, what follows is a cruel surprise,
He laughs mockingly and removes his disguise...
I am shocked and numb with disbelief... I am my own nemesis!

in the 'heat' of the moment...

The little beads above the brow join hands with one another...
A 'rivulet' then runs across the cheek;
The mercury soars - you are soon 'immersed',
And yet, the throat runs dry just as you speak.

The gigantic, mighty orb glares back at us - merciless!
The customary tie becomes a strangling, lethal noose...
Surely the angered Gods have declared a war upon us!
What 'sacrifice' will facilitate a truce?

Whilst the mind and body search for a shelter, for an oasis,
The soul cries out in pain, in dire thirst!
The occasional breeze assures us that help is on its way,
But the Sun says we must pay for our sins first...