Hangman Poem by Gary Scott Gebert

Played the game all my life,
guessing pieces of this enigma.
Dreading the unavoidable finish,
little by little outlining this image.

With every stroke of the pen,
you conquer all that I have.
Smiling as an angel of illumination,
but burying my identity into the dark.

Afraid to reveal you my hand,
leaving me open to defeat.
My translucent body armor a myth,
still holding my secrets in.

Till the final word is spoken,
leaving only shadows of time.
I slip away under the darkened water,
into depths of an abyss of shame.