Classic and Contemporary Poetry
DEATH, by BETH M. OLSON First Line: There was a time I shrank from him Last Line: I'll turn and take him by the hand. Subject(s): Death; Dead, The | ||||||||
There was a time I shrank from him But that was long ago, when dim And frightened vision saw him not As friend, but as a thing of rot And reeking bone beneath the cloak Of mystery he wears ... We spoke No word -- although I knew him near. But now his presence brings no fear For all my years hand heavily As ripened fruit on aging tree. Ever the path our slow feet tread Grows steep and clouds brood overhead. Unseen, I know his face behind The shrouding cloak is very kind. Unheard, his voice is soft and low As cello strings beneath their bow. And when we near the silent stream That bears me to my dearest dream, Crossing the shining silvery strand I'll turn and take him by the hand. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A FRIEND KILLED IN THE WAR by ANTHONY HECHT FOR JAMES MERRILL: AN ADIEU by ANTHONY HECHT TARANTULA: OR THE DANCE OF DEATH by ANTHONY HECHT CHAMPS D?ÇÖHONNEUR by ERNEST HEMINGWAY NOTE TO REALITY by TONY HOAGLAND THE HASTY PUDDING by JOEL BARLOW |
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