For all the repetition , I think there ' s good narrative progression in this piece . That said , it didn ' t really pick up for me until the final stanza , since the first two stanzas told rather than showed . <| sep |> I think the quote that fits here is . for when you gaze long into the abyss , the abyss gazes also into you . The path of vengeance is a dark one . I get it , you want to destroy the guy , humiliate him before you as you grind his face into dirt with your boot . Because that would make you feel powerful , that would make you feel like you didn ' t stand idly by when people got hurt . But personal vendettas never end up in a nice place . Life ' s a living hell when it ' s driven by revenge , because your actions are driven by someone else , your target is in control of them . Not that I ' m bitter over lost years or anything .