Aridee (This poem is an epic. That means it's long.)

A black-eyed girl, Aridee With long dark hair Plaited with red ribbons, Into a braid of rose and ebony. She danced in fire-light With the children of the village, But by day She sat by the river And stared. Tales from the south, They came by runners Feet ever pattering; News of war. Conquerors, armies Deaths and plunders. Rap, rap, rap The feet of the runners And cries as the villagers Heard the news. Rap, rap, rap Each day more runners Until people full of fear Hid each day in dark houses. But Aridee, The village child, She sat by the river And stared. Clang! The bells rang On a summer’s noon, When the stormy sky darkened And the people cowered. Clang! The watch bells, Boom! The thunder, The war drums of lightning, People covered their ears. While Aridee stood On the darkened hills, And stared at the masses, As the river ran on. Men from the South, Armor stained red, Swords at their sides And crossbows loaded, Torches they carried Red light like their eyes Echoes of blackened lands behind them. Fear, all could feel it. Fear, cried the children. Fear, clutched old women Hiding within dark houses. But fear, they could breathe it. Fear, brave the farmers Fear, strong the old horses, Fear, sharp the harvesting scythes. The battle, the torrents Brave men against killers, And mighty the tolls, Aridee did not stare, But sat by the river, No weapon to fight Her own weakness with; No sheild to protect Her own people with; Closed eyes, but the battle She could not stop seeing. Conquerors retreated; To come back when stronger, Not quite defeated But now they felt fear. There, they saw death In the eyes of the farmers. The farmers cried victory Towards the grey sky, But then cried their loss As the battlefield showed How many had died. Aridee, Said the people She hid not; why? When their love lay in mounds As if the earth, also wounded Now weeped. Aridee, she sat By the river And stared. Crazy, they called her As they rebuilt burnt houses She mourns not, they thought When she sat by the mounds And stared, eyes dry. Perhaps an enemy, even, A few dared to whisper But most gave their pity, And hid from her stare. Aridee, her black eyes That saw faces in shadow And eyes in the river Cried not, though she shook While she sat and stared. Two years passed, And Aridee The black-eyed girl Spoke not. Crazy Aridee, The children called her, She does not cry, She only stares She knows nothing And hides not from death. Aridee, she believed Put down her ribbons And let her dark hair grow tangled Slept by the river; Her home, long gone. People mocked her, Grabbed stones to throw, But stopped when she looked up And stared. Then Aridee saw In the sun and the water More cities burnt— An army approaching! She saw death, and knew it She breathed fear, and felt it So she screamed. They come! She shouted, Run! Hide! Run! Rap, rap, rap Her feet ran Like a messenger’s And she called And she cried. Crazy Aridee, they said Her voice, hoarse from silence Could not move them now, Run! Hide! They come! And rocks thrown, they hurt. Taunts, they hurt harder. So Aridee sat And shook, but cried not Crazy Aridee who stared. But the sun still shone And Aridee saw death, Knew him, brushed her hair And plaited it in braids With blue ribbons. Borrowed a scythe From a dead man, And went out to meet death On her own. Aridee, black braids flying Crossed hills to the South ‘Neath the blood sun rising. A scythe glinting, and black eyes That stared. Night came, In the cold She had no blanket But still she walked; And came To a conqueror’s camp; Killers and pirates Mercenaries, they laughed Over what they had taken From war-torn lands. Aridee, she stared And did not know why she came. Her weapon, a scythe Her defense, two eyes; Nothing else to face A whole army. But Aridee tried, Stared, and saw prisoners. Hid, and released them; Five men. Four ran, and one stayed. Davin the brave. The sentries then saw them, A girl and a prisoner, And laughed as they readied their swords. Davin the brave, a hero once Grabbed the scythe and fought Til’ the killers stopped laughing. But no man can defeat An army, nor could he As he sank to his knees from loss of blood. Aridee, she shook, Screaming, she closed her eyes, Hid behind black hair Torn from blue ribbons To block out her sight, But she saw even then. Hope; gone, Death; she knew it She saw it, And for the first time Aridee cried. Tears like thunder, Lighting like sunlight Davin, he watched Through his pain But delirious he saw, A girl crying black fire and death As an army fell. And who can believe A delirious witness? Three in the field then, Aridee and Davin And death reaching for the man. No, said black eyes Aridee with her eyes. I’ve seen too much, Aridee With her long dark hair said. Take me instead. So Davin woke, Saw not death, but knew him Saw not Aridee, but blue ribbons And wondered. The villagers lived As they had, unknowing Hidden in dark houses And closed eyes. And Aridee sits, By the river she sits Where the brave ones go Blind, she stares no longer Black-eyed Aridee.