Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE CRACKLING DEATH, by STEWART VAN DER VEER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CRACKLING DEATH, by                    
First Line: And then dawn came, night's curtains were furled
Last Line: And a match.
Subject(s): Fire; Forests; Woods


And then dawn came, night's curtains were furled,
A tranquil forest dawn: God gazing down upon the world.

A battalion of oaks in a valley stood.
It was fall.
The leaves were red, yellow and gold.
The sun
Through the trees was like fairy smiles
With its dappled light on the forest aisles.

On a limb sat a squirrel, a dab of red
Against brown,
As he fed from an acorn found there.
The day
Was as still as a churchyard at night,
Cool shadows were neighbors to warm sunlight.

Through the wood flew a dove, slaty gray.
Through the air
His wings whistled and knifed the breeze.
The bird
As gentle a thing as an angel's breath,
Had no hint as yet of the crackling death.

Then a mockingbird in the distance sang
His sweet song
Of the woods, the fields and the streams.
And peace
Reigned supreme in the valley of oak --
Not a tongue of flame, nor a breath of smoke.

But hell broke loose --
Satan lifted the latch,
Along came a fool,
A pipe --
And a match.





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