I love death, my own

from poetry collection: Geometric Shapes and Non-linear Narratives written during a depressive episode one autumn

I love death, my own

as I love life.

I embrace it -- all its mighty

strength

my arms weak,

shoulders heavy with hunger.

Death, I am.

I am Death, the cloaked thing

loyal friend,

merciful ghost.

Life, this world 

and the world beyond

the bottomless fall, the faithful leap

They yell and weep

Yell and weep, they all.

The chasm.

Life. Death. And what lies in between

I am standing by that chasm

Let me walk you

across that bridge.

Hand in hand

our shoulders merge together

and two lights -- 

one of hope, one of fear

the faithless stand here, naïve

watching and waiting as

Time blows them out.

It blows them out

like a candle... 

In Saitama, the sky is beautiful.

Every day, the clouds gather like congregations

of enormous size and mass

Love you, they say, love you 'til the very last. 

Author's Note

I am okay. This was written years ago during a particularly melancholic time of my life.

Reviews

[Marie]

A sublimely penned poem which I have enjoyed reading, Ern M. Life and Death are twins born at the same time as we enter the human world. They walk together each moment of the day. Life is what happens between birth date and date of death and you have captured that very poetically in the poem. Death is the companion which helps us to leave the human world so we can return home to Spirit when the last moment of our lifetime has arrived. It is so important to acknowledge that Death is our companion because it helps us to live our life to the fullest, to enjoy life to the fullest and to be happy knowing that this world is only a temporary visit, it is not actually our home. A very powerfully penned poem, well expressed, thought provoking and equally insightful. Surprised I don't find anything melancholic about the poem, dear Ern M. I find it very realistic, even comforting to read. It is excellently penned! Thank you for sharing, dear poet...

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

a great reader is harder to find than a great writer. you are both. you're absolutely correct i was not meleancholic, rather i was in the process of accepting fate. very pleased and impressed you picked that up.

[Marie]

Most welcome always, Ern...

[Eilis]

This feels like one of those defining poems of a poet’s voice. It’s exacting in expressing a strong sense of self and understanding at a particular moment in time. The pull of death when your own mind seems to be both mastering you and taunting you can be inviting. It feels like an escape when all else seems to be pursuing with some kind of mysterious barbarity.

An undergirding of optimism or hope or faith—something like your last stanza—can sometimes be the thing pulling us through. I like how the poem pivots like that as it moves forward. With a bit of light the dark can be kept from swallowing all the goodness. Though it’s not always easy or even it doesn’t always feel like a choice. I felt both of those forces at work here. Great work, Ern.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thanks Eilis. you've really peeled back what this work meant. at the time i was feeling a sense of futility about all things. i knew death was unavoidable and i thought about how sad it would be to put everything i know behind. yet at the same time being dislodged from this universe was a welcoming thought. no more troubles hereafter...
but in te end my innte positivity came through. there are troubles in this world but there is also a lot of love. and i think that is what is still keeping me going.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

and im glad you think of this as a defining poem. i feel the same way.

[Neville]

even without your brief authors note, it is evident that you penned this when you were in a dark place .. and having since stepped into the light, long may it serve as a marker to demonstrate how far you have travelled into it .. well poemed sir .. and with much respect my friend .. Neville

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thanks for your thoughtful comment Neville. always glad to see you here.

[Sami Khalil]

We cry when we enter this world, we sigh when we leave it. Birth is happiness to many, death is sadness to many.
God has ordained times and He put that in our biological clocks. I hear it ticking as we speak.
A powerful philosophical poem.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thank you sir! i'm glad it gave you food for thought. honoured to read your comment.

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome poet and ancient warrior. Are you a descendant of any Samurai?????

[Coyote Poetry]

I do like the Writerscafe. I get to meet and read poetry from the complete world.
"It blows them out
like a candle...
In Saitama, the sky is beautiful.
Every day, the clouds gather like congregations
of enormous size and mass
Love you, they say, love you 'til the very last. "
The above lines. I liked. Native American believe. Death is on our left shoulder always. Waiting. I believe life and death whispered to us. We need to listen to both. Thank you for the amazing poetry. I did enjoy.
Coyote

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thank you Coyote for always writing thoughtful comments. yes, i was in Saitama but i doubt that it is different anywhere else. glad you enjoyed reading this piece and hope to see you again.

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed the poem Ernest and you are welcome. I hope to read more of your work.

[Olivia Bant]

Such a beautiful and realistic poem. This reminds us that life and death are part of the world, very much present. That we shouldn't only see the first and put the latest in the closet. Just because one is visible, doesn't mean the other does not exist, just because we don't see it. This poem here invites us to embrace both.


"Hand in hand
our shoulders merge together
and two lights --
one of hope, one of fear"

Life is hope and Death is fear, the fear of the unknown, because we don't know exactly what is life after death once it takes us.

Beautiful and inspiring work here. I very much love it.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thanks Olivia. i'm overjoyed to hear this work spoke to you.

[Pryde Foltz]

It blows them out
like a candle...
In Saitama, the sky is beautiful.
Every day, the clouds gather like congregations
of enormous size and mass
Love you, they say, love you 'til the very last.

Such a wonderfully elegant write. You handle a very difficult with subject with such grace. Wonderful write.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thanks! this is one of my favourites, written years ago but i still revisit.

[Throwing Romeo]

Somehow we look in the same kind of mirror and imagine the
reflection absentee. You have captured this frame hauntingly
beautiful like the breath condensing to the last drop.
Strong write.
Connective tissues of language
the closest to immortality we have. Thankfully,
R.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

i do hope a small part of me lives on after i'm gone and that keeps me writing. i'm glad you read and engaged with this text. eternally grateful.

[AYVID N]

Death casts a shadow on life. Yet it need not be so. We tend to think about Death more when in a depressed state than generally. That's probably because depression brings a standstill to life. While thoughts of death evaporate when one is living life to the fullest. It would be amazing then, if we could welcome the thought of death as joyfully as we do of life. It could help us live more meaningfully. Marie's review on this poem says it all. Thank you for another thought provoking poem.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

depression brings a standstill to life. couldn't have said it better. when i wrote this i certainly was depressed, but also ready to accept death in a fairly philosophical way. i still feel that way all the my depression is mostly gone. and i hope i can carry this sentiment in the years that follow -- for many years. for where there is life, there is always an opportunity to express love.