Hi death was always a mystery to me. i too don't see vlad tepes as all evil. just a man who did what was needed, no matter what others said or thought aout him. your words speak his story in a way i can truly enjoy

I liked the ending to this; it was very compelling and brought me back to the fact that someone (the poem narrator) is actually telling this story.

I also liked the subject matter of the poem. Vlad doesn't get enough poetry written for him, especially not from a historic view point, so this was a welcome relief.

The only thing I would have perhaps liked to have seen more of would be the emotional connection to him as a historic figure which appears at the end with the "friend" reference.

Nicely done!

--ADS, The Review Marathon (see the link on my profile for more info)