Death

I freaked out a little bit one night and after calling a friend and voicing my panic, his immediate response was to tell me I needed to write.

The hand that reaches out

The death that touches me

The fear as I turn around

Darkness is all I see

 

The trees hide ghosts

The wind hides secrets

My footsteps quicken

I run as fast as I can

 

I’m restricted

I can’t run

I’m held back

I see you

 

You’re there, in that bush

You’re climbing that tree

You’re singing some song

You’re standing right in front of me

 

I feel the breath on the back of my neck

I turn to find the source

I see no one there

I hear no voice

 

The footsteps create a rhythm

My breath becomes a song

I bolster my courage with words borrowed

From men now long gone

 

I feel the fear

As it constricts my breath

Why am I afraid?

It’s only Death.

 

My good friend, back again

My enemy reborn

My rival arisen

My tears withdrawn

 

I panic

I see your face

I see the white touch of Death

I quicken my pace

 

Our old meeting place

How familiar it seems

Our old haunt

All those wasted dreams

 

I hear your footsteps beside mine

I hear your voice

I hear your complaints

I hear what I missed before

 

I know what you mean now

I see the meaning inside

I feel the pain

I can now see that you’ve cried

 

I spit out a rhyme

To capture the time

We spent marching around behind

The place I used to love

 

The things we used to do

The places we could go

The possibilities in our hands

Where to, we didn’t know

 

And now I see you here

I know that this is where you’ll stay

I know you can’t leave

You’ll sit there all day

 

You’ll wait for me

You’ll wait under the tree

You’ll know I’m not coming

Your waiting continues

 

You know I won’t be back

You know I won’t return

You know this place is done

As my eyes begin to burn

 

I’ve changed so much since then

You probably wouldn’t recognize me

Maybe we would still be friends

Maybe those days would be behind me

 

Maybe there is no end

Maybe this is just a waste

Maybe these words make no sense

Scrawled in an insane haste

 

I don’t know why I saw you

If you wanted to say hello

If you wanted to scare me

If you just wanted me to let go

 

I’m sorry if I wronged you

I’m sorry for what was done

I’m sorry that I missed it

I didn’t see the loaded gun

 

Your face now bears a mark

A thick rope holds back your breath

Eyes so full of sadness

A face of my good friend

 

A face of pale white Death