My search for Death
Begins tonight,
I’ll leave this world
Without a fight,
I’ll climb the stairs
Both up and down
To see life turned
All upside-down.
But where to start
I do not know;
To find the end
I’ll start below,
So down I go
The blazing steps,
Past crazy thieves
And high school preps,
Past sinners vile
And wicked too,
The likes of which
I never knew.
And as I make
My downward way
I look around
To my dismay,
Not at the glimpse
Of demon-kind
With yellow teeth
And eyes gone blind,
But at the shock
Of seeing men
I thought to be
Good citizens.
Surely not
My former teacher,
And God forbid,
My former preacher?
They shoot me looks
As I creep past
That make me jump
And feel aghast.
What secret lives
They must have led
To lead them here
When life had fled.
I shudder once
And hurry on
Past faces long
And woebegone,
Past shameless cops
And greedy kings
Adorned with gold
And iron rings.
Then two eyes
Quick fix on mine,
A bloody grin,
A toothless shrine.
“Tell me boy
What hope you seek
Beneath the flow
Of life’s wild creek.
What makes you come
To Hell below
Where none is safe
And friend is foe?”
I gulp some air
Before I speak,
Before my legs
And knees turn weak.
“I’ve come to find
The Lord of Fates
Whose counsel lies
Behind these gates,
The Prince of Dark
And Doom foretold
Who reaps the lives
Of young and old.
I’ve seen him once
In shadowed cloak
Glide past unseen
By troubled folk.
Green shadows died
When he came near,
They died of shock
Or died of fear.
But what I saw
Upon his face,
Behind the noble,
Fearless grace,
Was grief beyond
The tale of time,
The burden of
An endless crime.”
The specter bows
His head and sighs,
“To see Him once
Before one dies
Is rabbit’s luck
With two left feet,
Or fairy dust
So bittersweet,
But to view his face
Not once but twice
Would tempt the fates
And roll the dice,
And once the final
Cast is thrown
You’ll wish that
You had never known
The sweeter face
That Death can hide
Beneath an ebbing
Crimson tide.”
I shake my head,
Refuse to tend,
The warning of
My specter friend.
“I must tread
A different path,
You can’t foresee
The aftermath.
My mind is set,
I’ve made a vow;
I’ll find him yet,
You’ll see, somehow.”
The specter rolls
His eyes at me,
And says to me,
“You’re always free
To seek your way
Through Hell and back,
Though sound of mind
And sense you lack.”
And with a final
Parting sigh
He drifts away
With woeful eye,
And leaves me to
Myself once more
To scamper ‘cross
The fields of war.
Reowr 
Wow, gave me chills. Love this.
You don’t know how much that means to me…thank you so much for your words. 🙂
Perfect rhythm and timing. Best compliment i can give was it was more like i was watching and hearing it rather than reading it.
Reblogged this on Reowr and commented:
I am currently trying to write some children’s pieces for publication, so I will be reblogging some of my older work. This is the first narrative poem I ever wrote, more than a decade ago.
This is excellent! I love how the entire poem flows really well.
Thank you kindly! I’m so glad it flowed well for you. 🙂
Wow Cubby! That was wonderful. Paws high in the air. Great flow.
You’ll be happy to note there are no chickens in hell. 😀
Ha! Love this.
Excellent poem! Very chilling.
Glad you liked it! 🙂
Really nice! Really enjoyed this!
It makes me very happy that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Ah…shudder…great poem! What images you paint with rhyming words…Dante would be happy to stand next to you and speak of the qualities of the Inferno!
Lol you are way too kind. As long as he’s not standing next to me in hell while speaking about the qualities of the inferno, I think I would enjoy that! 🙂
😉 surely he’s in Paradiso!
Wonderful, you will be the next Shel Silverstein!
Haha, that may be a bit of a stretch. The children’s market is saturated and looks difficult to crack, but I figure it’s worth a shot. 🙂
Where is part 2? When he finds the Dark Lord? Ah, I want to continue this in prose form so BADLY but don’t want to steal your thunder :p
If the one you write doesn’t rhyme and has a different style, I don’t see why not. Part 2 was dissected and spread out as separate poems, but I will be rewriting it soon. 🙂
I love this one, outstanding! I actually had a dream about the devil last night I was annoyed to have my sleep disrupted by bad dreams that I actually said to him are you so arrogant that you think I would even want to see you in my dreams, bugger off I want some sleep. The devil looked just like Skeet Ulrich.
Lol bugger off? You sure have a lot of gumption! If the devil looked like Skeet Ulrich, I don’t think I would mind dreaming about him. 🙂
My dream self is very feisty 😛 Demons, monsters, psychos meh I will take on anything. I wish I was that fearless awake! He wasn’t a bad looking devil lol
That is awesome. I wish my dream self had a bit more spunk. She looks and acts rather apathetic, almost like a real-life version of me when I’m out in public, but I can feel how tumultuous her emotions really are. Dream selves are so interesting. 🙂
This is wonderful! I can’t believe you wrote this 10 years ago. You have been going strong for such a long time it seems! Glad you are thinking of getting your work published! Children need to be introduced to poetry which is fun but also high quality. Your poems would be perfect for this. The parents would love them as much as the kids. I think you should also consider marketing for home-educators. It would see really well. Good luck!
I wrote this one at a rather dark point in my life. I started writing during this time for a stint of about 3 months, didn’t write for over 10 years, and just recently started again a little over 3 months ago. So my total writing experience is actually roughly 6 months, but I think I have my priorities straight now. Thank you so much for your encouraging words! 🙂
That is pretty impressive—wow!
You’ve only been blogging for 3 months!?
Just a bit longer than that now. 🙂
Wow! I’ve always been impressed with your blog, but now I am even more so. To put out such quality work and have such a large following in only a few months is admirable.
This verse you write is so delicious,
Of evil souls and sins malicious.
I expect a twist in this tale you tell
As you bring your readers down to Hell.
What lesson have you planned to teach us?
A parable with which to reach us?
Write! You hold us all in sway!
(Does Death really take a holiday?)
Do you know how well you rhyme?
It’s almost perfectly in time.
It makes me want to stamp my feet
And offer you a little treat.
Part 2 was done long time ago
Along with 1 but did not flow
As well as I had wished it to
And so I kicked it with my shoe
Into the air so it would make
Two separate poems, a double take,
Now hid within my little blog
Just like a sneaky little frog.
But I will soon set out to write
Part 2 again, but not tonight.
I await with pure delight
Your re-posted tale of fright!
(I, too, enjoy a rhyming verse,
Compact, perhaps a little terse.)
Lol nice!
I really enjoyed this Cubby great flow as always. I didn’t see it as a kiddies piece though. Maybe a teenagers poem. Soberflight excellent comment
No, it is not meant for children. I am in the process of creating poems for children as most of my poems to date are not really suited for them. You may get a kick out of my reply to Soberflight’s comment. 😉
Wow, well looking at my previous comment…it still stands true.
Good luck with the publications…You shouldnt have any problems at all..your work is flawless and you can turn your hand to any style and genre…
Haha thank you so much. It is nice to know someone has so much faith in me. 🙂 I think the children’s market may be more receptive to my rhymes than the adult market right now.
Well you have a great talent. The serialised rhymed stories proved that beyond any doubt!
Your rhyming scheme would suit any market as it flows effortlessly. The content will make the market. And you have the versatility to write content that will suit kids, adults or pets!! Lol
That you think so means a lot to me. Too bad there is already such a famous, daunting cat poet out there. 🙂
Famous daunting cat poet? Well ive only ever heard of yourself….so go for it!! Do an ebook on amazon!! 😀
This is the frist time I am reading this and its amazing!
Which is why I reblogged it 😉
I can hardly believe how short a time you have been writing, which only goes to prove, yet again, what tremendous talent you have. This piece was fantastic. Ready for Part 2 whenever you are. And good luck with the children’s market. Have you thought of going into schools to do some readings? I know we’re always looking for visitors to come into school and speak/read to the children. Just read that again.That would be a long haul flight! I mean, obviously, contacting schools at your end. You may be surprised at how receptive they would be to such an overture. With the right material (maybe even dressing up!) kids go bananas for entertainment of this kind. I went along to a library a number of years ago with a class to visit an author/illustrator who talked about her work and the process and then read samples to the children. They were in awe and full of questions. It might be a good avenue into publication if you can say that your poems have already been ‘test-driven’ and well-received.
Sorry, I’m getting taken away with the idea. But, seriously, please give it some thought and see if it appeals. Or not. 🙂 x
Because I started writing back when I was in a serious funk, I associated being severely depressed with being able to write. During that time, inspiration and writing seemed to come from nowhere, and I was able to write with what seemed like very little effort. After the funk lifted, so did the ability to write with such facility. No one supported my writing at that time either, so I figured it was just a phase and that I had to get a “real job” like everyone else. During the 10 years or so of not writing, I have picked up the pen and tried to write a few times but gave up when nothing immediately struck me, which reinforced the idea that I had to be depressed in order to write. I did write some of “Jaida” during a forced attempt at writing over a week or two, but it was like pulling teeth and not very fun. Over the last few months, I have realized that I cannot expect inspiration to just come to me if I sit down with a pen and wait for it; I have to actively seek it out and throttle it like Homer does (Doh!).
I decided to focus on the children’s market as it seems to be a better market for my rhyming style, but I am a horrible reader when it comes to children’s stories (like Keanu Reeves acting in a Shakespeare play) and would probably make children cry if I went in to do readings for them. My definition of “dressing up” is changing out of my pajamas, and I don’t think kids would find this entertaining and might throw banana peels at me. All in all, I can see myself with a classroom full of crying children while covered in banana peels. Not too appealing at the moment unfortunately.
Anyways, I think I’m just blabbing right now. Thank you for your suggestions. They make a lot of sense, and I may revisit them in the future if things look promising. I always appreciate your comments and encouraging words. 🙂
The day the weans throw banana skins at me, I’m packing it in!
I’ve just left a comment on your other post about using the poem in class to test it out for you.
If you would be happy for me to do that, I would be delighted to do so with those ones you envisage using in a children’s book. A bit of real market research, if you like. Let me know.:) x
I am thick, at times. I am. I am. Just commented on your other post much the same thing. You’ll be wanting to keep poems under wraps for your book. Just ignore my density and put it down to enthusiasm to see you getting your poems out there! I really must try putting my brain into gear before making suggestions. 🙂 x
Haha wow it’s a good thing I read all your comments at once. I was so excited by the first comment that it didn’t dawn on me that it may not be a good idea to put my work out there until I read your following comments. I pretty much hopped on your train of thought and rode it from post to post, and now I have no idea where I am and what would be the best course of action. I will have to heed the saying, “When in doubt, do nothing,” but I am overwhelmed with gratitude by your generous offer and support. You have a truly giving and warmhearted nature that I admire greatly. 🙂
If you change your mind, let me know. It’s not generosity as such. I know talent when I see it and want to help where I can. It would give you an idea of age range and understanding of matching audience with appropriate pieces. Just holler. 🙂 x
Wow very thought provoking and chilling. You are amazing. I read and thought wow!!! I must of found your blog after you wrote this
Aw, thank you Barb. It warms my heart to read your kind words. I hope you are feeling well and haven’t experienced anymore pain.
You can hide your dirty laundry, but the small always catches up to you.
Ain’t that the truth.
Love it! Superb.
So glad you do! 🙂
fantastic! I love your poetry, Cubby. It should also be noted that I greatly appreciate your support and encouragement. Not just on my own blog but everywhere else. I think I am not alone in thinking how thoughtful you are. Best wishes from Baldy. Keep smiling and keep writing 🙂
Ah, you’re making me blush. I think you are the thoughtful one here. Whenever your icon pops up somewhere, there are always smiles left behind. 🙂
*grins* 🙂
best time to laugh is any time you can and smiles are infectious 🙂
you’re smiling now, aren’t you!
😀
Wonderful…will be awaiting your revised part 2 🙂
I have no idea when that will be as I am currently running around like a chicken without a head…
I really, really enjoyed that. Thank you.
That makes me very, very happy. 🙂
Oh, how people’s looks can sometimes be deceiving! I would definitely buy a book of your collected poems 🙂
Aw, that’s sweet of you to say. Looks can indeed be deceiving! 🙂
I loved this Cubby. Intense, beautiful, real. And I loved the way the rhyming story flowed. Keep it coming! Blessings, Deborah
Many thanks for your kind words. So glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
Wow! Just, just WOW!
Thank you for the wonderful palindrome! 🙂