*Note: Uncle Matthew told me this was one of the first poems he ever wrote. It's very dark. Was Uncle Matthew contemplating suicide? I know he suffered from depression... Anyway, it's based on the Appalachian dirge of the same name.
O Death, won’t you spare me?
My wicked ways have gone too far, I know,
but the grave is not my desired sleep.
A coffin is not my desired home.
O Death, won’t you spare me?
I see the darkness and I fear.
You, Death, frighten and terrify me.
O, Death, spare me another year.
O Death! I beg of you!
Spare my soul and wash it clean;
Save me; cleanse my spirit through.
Skip me, Death, and set me free.
O Death, will you give me hope?
The hanging tree is beckoning.
Prepared for me is a necklace o’rope
And a troubled fear is awakening.
O Death, I see your face,
You specter of darkness, you demon of night!
By your rotted flesh, I cannot tell race,
And your indiff’rence to man fills me with fright.
O Death, you reflect my soul
And I see it black and decayed.
If I’d have known where it would go,
With the merciful Lord I would have stayed.
O Death, your hands are cold.
Your eyes show no love, only hate.
Death, take my soul only when I’m old
And give it to God to decide my fate.
O Death, none can excel.
My soul, it cries to be set free.
You open the door to Heaven or Hell,
And judged by the Lord is my destiny.
O Death, won’t you spare me?
I repent for my sins and wicked deeds.
My mind’s an abyss, a darkened sea:
My soul is a garden of blackened weeds.
O Death, it’s time to go.
This I know, but still I pray
That you would wait to take me home;
That you’d put it off ‘til another day.
O Death, won’t you spare me?
Please don’t leave my body cold.
Save me, Spirit, I beg and plea.
Spare me, Death, and save my soul.
YOU ARE READING
A Golden Afternoon: The Collected Poetry of the Late Matthew Packard
PoetryThis is simply a collection of previously unpublished (and unseen) poems written by my late Uncle Matthew. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed finding them.
