Bane,

This is a very good piece of writing. It seems to twine both past and present, good and bad, life and death 'til you're not quite sure which is which. The poem is rife with emotion. I particularly like the last stanza.

Though you might want to look at the first line of the second stanza, I think you mean "place your hand" not "you hand".

Very good job.

T. Sica