Death is a beast that rides on swift wings
In the summer on a swollen breeze, on winter's breath
When time flies free
To captivate the soul that flees.
To those whom Death comfort brings
Warmth to thine ears, whispers a-sly
Brought to tears
In gratitude absent of fears.
A new world order older than kings
Rising above and cowering beneath
Growing overhead and under our feet
Shadows muttering in the deep.
We here cannot hear the voice that rings
From jaws of iron with claws of ice
Burning brighter,
Setting fire to the light.
Ashes, dust, to darkness clings
The memory of a frozen dream
Eternally fleeting, endless
And so Death is lost to an empty scream.
~~
Author's note: Since this poem is very abstract and probably doesn't make much sense, I'll explain a bit about where the idea came from. I have this concept in my head (perhaps I'll use it in a story at some point) about a death-world which is inhabited by things like demons, hell hounds, ghosts, etc. However, this world isn't distinct from the world of the living in the way that hell or heaven is. Rather, this death-world physically overlaps with the living world, but we cannot see it or the creatures that inhabit it until we die. The poem is made up of five four-line verses that each convey a different aspect of death and the death-world:
Verse 1 is meant to discuss the personification of death as a beast that chases down souls who don't want to die, who are clinging to the living world.
Verse 2 is meant to describe death as a welcomed friend to someone who is ok with dying/has come to terms with it (inspired by the third brother in HP7 who got the invisibility cloak from Death).
Verse 3 describes the world of death - it is "new" for those who just died, who have never seen it before, and yet it is older than all of civilization.
Verse 4 discusses the fact that the living can't hear/see/sense anything in this death-world, even though the death-world can interact with the living world (which is referred to as "the light"). I have a head-canon that the creatures in the death-world seek to overtake the living world, hence the line "setting fire to the light". If I ever use this poem in a story, maybe it would make sense to say that the poem a prophecy foretelling of the demons of the death-world becoming strong and bold ("burning brighter") enough to try and consume the living world.
Verse 5, in the context of a prophecy, would then foretell of the living world being overtaken by demons. The concept of Death becomes insignificant once you are part of the horrifying death-world anyway (hence the final line "Death is lost to an empty scream").
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Things That Go Rhyme in the Night
PoesíaHerein lies what is, in my humble opinion, the most deeply meaningful poetry I've written, whether it's meaningful only to me or to everyone else as well. Some is epic, some is angsty, some (okay, maybe more than some) is childish. Enjoy! (Cover mad...
