Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, EPITAPH, by LOUISE DRISCOLL


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

EPITAPH, by                    
First Line: Here lies the flesh that tried
Last Line: Twill greet the sun a flower.
Subject(s): Death; Epitaphs; Dead, The


Here lies the flesh that tried
To follow the spirit's leading;
Fallen at last, it died,
Broken, bruised and bleeding,
Burned by the high fires
Of the spirit's desires.

It had no dream to sing
Of ultimate liberty;
Fashioned for suffering,
To endure transiently,
And conscious that it must
Return as dust to dust.

It blossomed a brief hour,
Was rosy, warm and strong;
It went like a wilted flower,
It ended like a song,
Some one closed a door --
And it was seen no more.

The grass is very kind;
(It knows so many dead!)
Those whom it covers find
Their wild hearts comforted;
Their pulses need not meet
The spirit's speed and heat.

Here lies the flesh that held
The spirit prisoner --
A caged thing that rebelled,
Forced to subminister;
Broken it had to be;
To set its captive free.

It is very glad to rest,
It calls to roots and rain,
Safe in its mother's breast,
Ready to bloom again.
After a day and an hour
'Twill greet the sun a flower.





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