THE HARSHEST LESSON I. The Student Tell me I've done right, Mac Because the blow has already fallen And suddenly I'm not so sure He killed her! He had no right to hunt her like that He ran her down He killed her... And that's not the real reason, is it? In the heat of the battle Did I even remember her face? Or was I fueled by the age-old drive for blood For his head For his Quickening This silent moment Seems to stretch into days Between the sword's deadly stroke And the firestorm I know must follow Across that void I meet your eyes Seeking approval And finding none Your closed face reveals only A single bitter truth: You are as disappointed in me As I am in myself I don't deny I've made my share of mistakes You know that as well as I do But this time I've gone too far This time nothing can repair the damage And I can only hope you can forgive me II. The Teacher Tell me I wasn't wrong, Richie Because right now I can't see How I could have been right It wasn't fair to you, I know To see you as my second chance To expect your wisdom to Exceed your years... But why couldn't it? Among all of us You began with perhaps the greatest knowledge Of what it means to be an Immortal When you must prove yourself fit To someday be the only one It must seem harsh When I turn my back on you And it cuts me just as deeply But I can't afford to let you see my tears Across that void I feel you searching For answers I can't give you Have you started down a path That will lead you inevitably to ruin? Or can you make certain this never happens again? I don't know And I'm afraid to find out You've become too much like me Too suddenly And the truth is I can't face that Will we have to face each other? That's the question I was hoping you wouldn't ask And I can only hope we can forgive each other --Valerie Lynn Meachum March 20, 1994