Ferryman

A Poem by Rob River

three piece poem about death, read prelude beyond first

With a simple flourish of hand and empty gaze
death beckoned close a single soul from the murk
and a single dinghy swayed and weaved
nearing near and within earshot a voice called snidely
“Who calls to be ferried shore to shore?”
Upon which death simply replied
“A simple man cursed with life and rewarded with death.”
“One is not simply rewarded with my gift death,
nor should any man think lightly on life”
“What is either then if neither is wonderful?” I asked
scornfully death stared at me, as the ferryman spoke
“Life, as death, or either as in both, reflects one upon the other,
and whichever bears bore, reflects more on the other. Let not death trick you,
nor let me bargain with you. Choose one, and see the other”
“Then death take from me my dying, and to you I give my life,
just leave me to be alive with neither death and dying, nor life and living”
“Then from you I’ll take your dying & the ferryman will take your life
and as reward for such perceptivity alive you will be, for an eternity”