Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SLOW DEATH, by HAZEL HALL


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SLOW DEATH, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: You need no other death than this
Last Line: Of breath tarnished to color of air.
Subject(s): Death; Dead, The


You need no other death than this
Slow death that wears your heart away;
It is enough, the death that is
Your every night, your every day.

It is enough, the sun that slants
Across your breast, heavy as steel,
Leaving the rust of radiance
To shape a wound that will not heal.

Enough, the crystal at your lips,
Wasting you even as it lies --
Vibrant there before it slips
Away, torn from your mouth like cries.

There will be now, as fumes from wood,
A passing, yet no new death's care.
You will know only the frustrate mood
Of breath tarnished to color of air.





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