“Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.”
—
John Donne
i.
You’ve been told to lie down,
hang that dog-head of yours,
but every time we turn around
you sink your nasty fangs into more tender flesh.
ii.
random reaper
taking what someone else has sown
iii.
threadbare and thin
(almost transparent)
like a pot of soup
with more
and more water
added every day
iv.
a slow turning
from one form
to another —
atoms changing dance partners
v.
a door
no one wants to knock on,
no one wants to go through
vi.
does the bell
yet toll for you,
oesophageal rattlesnake?
vii.
Like a proper sentence,
we will begin with a capital
and fix a steady period
to the end.
viii.
a dark passage into the unknown
ix.
a bridge
over an anxious river
x.
finally
arriving
home
***********************************************************************
Björn is hosting the bar at dVerse and the challenge is to write a cubist poem.
Sep 30, 2016 @ 22:44:26
This is splendid, I especially like the fact that you never name “it”, the hints are enough… there is a progression with some level of closure that I like a lot.
Oct 01, 2016 @ 02:50:22
Thanks for the wonderful prompt, Björn!
Sep 30, 2016 @ 23:23:40
Sharing that observation, Bjorn! The “it” that shall not be named is a shroud that cover all in time. So well expressed!
Sep 30, 2016 @ 23:33:20
A challenging theme to write about, smiles ~ I specially like 7 and 9 and the last one is positive take on this dark subject ~
Oct 01, 2016 @ 00:00:43
“atoms changing dance partners”
and that soup visual…goodness. So good.
Oct 01, 2016 @ 16:23:32
Thank you. 🙂
Oct 01, 2016 @ 00:03:43
They are all great. The different aspects and the words for the final ending.
Oct 01, 2016 @ 16:22:25
🙂 Thanks!
Oct 01, 2016 @ 02:47:07
Wonderful treatment of this omnipresent subject. Enjoyed every one of them but, of course, the one about the sentence resounded..
Oct 01, 2016 @ 06:12:39
😊
Oct 01, 2016 @ 08:24:12
well done!!
Oct 01, 2016 @ 16:21:57
🙂 Thanks, dear Aletta!
Oct 01, 2016 @ 12:03:19
Like a proper sentence,
we will begin with a capital
and fix a steady period
to the end.
Wonderfully profound 🙂
Oct 01, 2016 @ 12:04:18
Thanks. 😊
Oct 01, 2016 @ 17:57:12
I agree with Bjorn on this. I do love those lines:
‘random reaper
taking what someone else has sown’
Oct 01, 2016 @ 18:01:50
Thank you. 😊
Oct 02, 2016 @ 01:41:00
Wwonderful poetry. Wonderful form. You never name death, yet it is in every one of the poems. The visual of the soup getting thinner, daily, is especially poignant, bring to mind those trying to stave off starvation by adding water to the soup, daily. Excellent.
Oct 02, 2016 @ 16:46:40
Thank you. 😊
Oct 02, 2016 @ 02:33:36
You have done this prompt justice, LL. The visage of the reaper in a potent and intriguing format.
Oct 02, 2016 @ 16:46:57
Thanks so much!
Oct 03, 2016 @ 14:32:13
Love the sense of hope in your final stanza
Oct 03, 2016 @ 14:45:26
Thank you. 😊