Adventure genre

My Capture the Flag meets Hunger Games meets reality game shows became a poem:

An Open Letter to Triumph Viewers

You don’t know me.

The desperate competitor on TV

is not who I am, is not the real me.

There was no other way, can’t you see?

You don’t know what it’s like, the not knowing

where the others are, are they hiding

overhead in a tree, are they lurking

around the bend, are they winning?

It’s the not knowing, don’t you see?

Lost in the jungle, beneath towering trees,

the shade of night and day just slight degrees,

while searching for two treasures, hiding from two teams.

Two days were done, only one to go,

we had to risk it, surely you know

what it was like, you would have done the same,

we had a shot at millions, we played the game.

Two teammates in jail, another left to defend

our treasure, to the very end.

The hours ticked away, only a few remained,

if we didn’t act soon, all would be wasted, nothing gained.

Her death was an accident, I swear, I insist

the broken neck from the fabric wrapped tight in my fist

wasn’t the plan, it wasn’t my wish.

It all happened so quick.

The rules allow it, you must know.

If a player kills another player, to jail they must go.

I wasn’t the only one, you can’t forget

There was another, who you barely met.

He sprang from the brush, just a few hours in,

stopped my heart, shot ice cold fear through my limbs.

Petrified was I, so I am guilt-free

of his swift death that came to be.

You must see, there was no other way,

we had our chance, we had to make our play.

The treasure was there, just one player guarding it,

The deed I did commit, my teammate to profit.