Today I pay tribute to the talented Anne Rice. She created two characters which embodied opposites. Louis, a beautiful soul trapped in a vampire’s world, fought hard to hold on to the beauty of humanity, in spite of his terrible circumstances and the relentless education his maker, Lestat, forced upon him. In this poem I co-wrote with the talented Mr. Daman from California, we witness an exchange that epitomizes a battle of ideals as they clash to defend who and what they are.
Love should be passionate and as you sink your fangs on this offering, know that we spilled our blood, defending our positions. Mr. Daman became Louis and I breathed in Lestat’s life force. The end result we called the Guiding Knight, not to pay homage to me, but to demonstrate how Anne Rice’s creation of Lestat in essence gave rise to a new generation of dark Knights. Her vampire Lestat accepted what he was and in essence embraced the darkness.
The Guiding Knight
By Mr. Daman and Nomar Knight
Louis
Arising from the silk of my caskets cocoon,
life’s light extinguishes in the west. Sunsets blinding beauty
of purples hue, scalding my retinas. Deaths eyes will
regenerate, but I still hope for redemption of my soul.
Lestat
While you wallow in your prophylactic coffin
daylight convulses and inevitability surrenders to
night’s embrace. Life's faint pulse enlivens dark wonders,
comfort not such melancholy folly for your soul is dead.
Louis
Soul! Cold death flows bitter and sticky in this black heart.
An undead soul entrapped in desire, the light nourishes
life. It is its heat that we suckle, love is its blood drained
warm in the throat. Never quenching our lustful hunger.
Lestat
Better a cold death than a frosted life, relying on the hope of
finicky creatures that welter in daylight's self professing glory.
Our nocturnal reality overshadows the illusion brought forth
by the sun's blinding clutch.
Louis
Darkness’ unfathomable depths weighs heavily of despair.
A black heart seeps black blood, light reflects the glory of red.
Lestat
Daylight suffocates nocturnal passions, invoking fallacies to the sun.
Only an honorable black heart can deliver ye from de profundis.
Louis
Madness! Driven by delirious instinctual desire,
chaotic grim, midnight confections of insatiable bloodlust.
Nothing more than evils appetite dining upon torn flesh.
Sinking tooth to vein, sinking soul in vain, sinking depths insane.
Lestat
Shake off dementia and rise above diminutive morality, for turmoil
festers deep within the bosom. Cling unto my blood and allow
its godly power to immortalize our cohesion. Raise from death's despair,
raise above pettiness, raise allegiance to our consanguinity.
Louis
Darkness lays claim to arrogance denying remorse.
As Lucifer denies his bastards love, instilling only instinctual
blood lust. God will embrace his children of the night.
Death eats life it is the very sustenance of your suffering.
Lestat
Daylight squanders opportunity, festering hope.
As God denies His ignorant followers, Satan bows to my will.
No deity will sustain your blood-lust. Death feeds upon the living,
solidifying our promenade with greatness.
Louis
You can feel the festering now can't you? The hunger?
Lestat
Don't ignore what you've become, a princely predator.
Louis
We can't ignore the emptiness, while you prey... I'll pray too.
Lestat
Sentimental fool, we are one, we are ambassadors of darkness.
*Note- While I understand Anne Rice is a true, wonderful soul who embraces light, she demonstrated her ability to reach into the darkness and provide us with heavenly lessons. Her work speaks for itself and this author feels her newest novels about the Christ are brilliantly written and offer readers an educational, if not entertaining spin on the wonder of the Jesus of Nazareth.
Thank you, Anne Rice, for sharing your talents with the rest of us and for proving to me that one can live in the darkness for awhile and not get lost.
Nomar Knight
