I am the Alpha and the Omega
I am the devourer of souls
And the bringer of Death
I am she who must never be known

There was a time and a place
Long ago and far away
When I was innocent and pure
When the taint of pain and suffering had yet to touch me

The innocence of childhood
And the purity of joy
Suffused my being like the rising of the sun
In the dawn of my life

Yet as the day drew on
Did the storms of discrimination, ridicule, loathing and hate
Gather like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Ready to ravage all within their path

And so too came the rider on the pale horse
His bony fingers beckoning
His stoic countenance belying his true purpose
Ready to reap the souls of the unwary, the frightened and the sick at heart

Here and there the sun shines through
Momentarily giving respite, giving hope and easing grief
Shining a light on the life that was, and the life that might have been
Illuminating the path before me

But it is simply a jest, a trick with smoke and mirrors
For with its illumination
Can be seen the mockery of the life lived
That darkness which invades the soul and breaks the heart

She who must never be known
Must never see the light which cleanses
The light which purifies all that it touches
And which returns us to truth and the beginning of all things

For should she shine the light of truth on herself and her life
She will see all the dark corners and shadows
Left from the years of hiding and dissembling
And a price shall have to be paid

And in that defining moment
Will she be able to pay the price demanded?
Or will she simply let the Reaper take his due
And surrender her soul to the darkness

The years have taken their toll
Yet still she stands
She is on the precipice
Her soul balancing on the edge of a blade

And in the end
She surrenders
Yet the Reaper rides away alone
For she has surrendered to the embrace of the light

In that defining moment
She has accepted all the darkness and shadow in her soul
She accepts the truth that her life must begin again
And as He dies, she is left standing

Emotionally naked, like a child
Like the child she was, waiting to become the woman
She always knew she should be

She is the Alpha and the Omega
She is the Bringer of Death
And the Devourer of Souls
She is the Integrator of all that was and all that is still to be
She is me