The old man lay in his bed. It was night time, and yet, even with no suns, he could see clearly. Such was the paradox of death. They say your whole life flashes before your eyes as you are about to die.
Clearly, thought the old man, the people who have said that, have not died yet and do not know anything about anything!
He took a deep breath before he coughed up various bodily fluids in which he did not care for the names of. Disgusting thing it is: death.
He spent his entire life fighting for the galaxy; travelled amongst the stars to battle the forces of evil. You know, the typical clichй of a hero’s life. But now look at me, he thought, I’m just a weak and pathetic old man. Pah! I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself. I love my life, and what I’ve done. Where I’ve been and who I have shared those times with. If only she knew….
I spent my life trying to tell her, but never could I get up the courage. Sure, I could face a Sith with not even a doubt in my mind, but when it came to her, my mind was lost. I had no idea what to say or do and most of the time I only succeeded in making a fool of myself like some idiotic teenager. Well, I guess this is about a good a time as any!
He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed a datapad.
....I just hope that it will be good enough…
He wrote:
Such sweet thoughts come to thee,
about your laugh, and what I'd see,
when I think back to when you were here.
and how it would bring such joyful tears.
Forget you, I will not,
for the Force is the same; it cannot be forgot.
My love for you stretches as far as the eye can see,
and even as bright as the sun, rebounding off the dune sea.
That night when I said goodbye,
it was just another, useless lie.
For here now I am, so close to death,
and yet here I sit, I cannot forget.
Farewell such beauty,
you are my dream.
We may be parting, but do not be troubled,
I may be withering, but I am no flower.
Faster, faster, and faster I move towards the Force,
And faster, faster, and faster, you travel through my thoughts.
I now say my goodbye,
on this bed of sweet memories here I lie.
My love for you will always be true,
and here comes the light, right on cue!
I feel it rushing through me,
as I breath my last breath,
I close my eyes to see,
as I begin to rest.
That not all loves are fake,
and not all lies are false,
But, better yet, for all our sakes,
it's just another step in remorse.
Farewell such beauty,
you are my dream.
I love you....
The old man reached over and placed the datapad on his bedside table. He scribbled something else down before he got comfortable though. After he finished he placed his head softly onto his pillow and breathed in relief. It was done. Finally done.
And now all he had to worry about was if he had to talk to any of his enemies he had sent to the other side of the Force.
I hope not, he thought. I had enough of them before I killed them anyway. I just want peace…
As he closed to eyes his thoughts drifted back to Taris. When he won that swoop race and saved her.
She saved him by her accounts but he knew the truth, as did she!
I smile was brought to his lips......
On the bedside table, the last hurried scribble on the datapad read:
Good-bye, Bastila. I’m an old fool who should have told you this a long time ago, but, you know me: stubborn until the very end.
I love you. Good-bye.
PS: If you get the chance, please tell Carth it WAS me who accidentally puked on his swoop bike at his wedding. It’s been bothering me for twenty-odd years!
Ha ha!
Sorry Carth!
it was a really beautiful poem Mr_BFA, the story over all was very nice. The ending was a nice touch, made me laugh.
The Carth bit at the end made me laugh too :)
(choking out laugh and trying not to cry at the same time)
That was great. :p
I liked the first part of prose best (but then again, I'm always biased towards prose!) The last part was unexpectedly whimsical, which is not in itself a bad thing, but slightly at odds with the poem's overall feel. An enjoyable iece, but do polish!
The ending made me :lol: The rest of the story made me enjoy a few minutes of this evening.