Dance With Death

• Jackson Hoult
• Poetry
• 2012

When Death's pale fingers, took thy hand,
Did thou fear Him? Did thou fear the end?
When He took thou in his grasp,
And danced the dance of death with thee

Did thou fear him?
Did thou see the pale light?
The luminous white horizon?
Did thou fear the end of days?
Or did thou take it open armed?

When Death embraced thou like a friend of yore,
Did thou shiver,
or did thou laugh?
Did Death’s morbid chill send terror through thy bones?
And did thou accept thy fate,
and board the boat
Did thou flow down the Styx, treading Dante’s path?

Did thou see the wretched souls, floating through the river?
Did thou scream, or did thou smile,
At the gates of Tartarus?

When Death held out His cold white hand,
To help thou on to shore,
Did thou take it openly, or touch it not at all?

Did thou regret thy life, as thou step’d through the gate,
Or did thou remember it fondly, at hours late?
Did thou think one dreaming, in such a place?
Did dread terror, or serenity, spread across thy face?

Did thou follow Death reluctantly?
Or did thou at once march through the gates,
And down the path, admirably?

Had thou accept’d thy fate?
That thou’st was truly dead?
Or did thou refuse to believe it?
Did thou force it from thy head?

And when thou came before the Maker,
Glorious and good,
Did thou plead for mercy, or did thou greet
With open arms, willing of thy fate

Did thou wonder where thy’d go?
Or did thou merely sit and wait,
For Death’s cold hand, to let go?,