Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WHEN I AM DEAD by PAUL ELDRIDGE

First Line: I'LL HAVE NO COMPROMISE
Last Line: THEIR PARADISE. ...
Subject(s): ANGELS; DEATH; HEAVEN; DEAD, THE; PARADISE;
I'll have no compromise,
No bargain-driving
With the gods.
And so,
When I am dead,
Let them not offer me
With oriental hospitality
Their Paradise.
Let not their angels
In cynical humility
Wash my feet with myrrh,
Anoint my head
With perfumed oils,
And flap their wings
Like silver castanets
In mocking merriment.

I'll have no dealings
With the gods—
I've known them too long,
And learned the cunning fashion
Of their arts.
And so,
When I am dead,
Let vulgar Earth
Absorb me with her kiss,
And clasp me tightly
With her rough unclean arms
Against her breast.
And when she wearies
Of my flesh and bones,
Let her crush me in her palms,
And render me
A blade of grass,
To dance a summer's day
And throw kisses
To the stars.
Alas, the gods are greedy,
And seek their profit,—
They'll never give me peace,
When I am dead—
They'll offer me
Most graciously,
Their Paradise. ...



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