Death and the Scribe

Death and the Scribe
Old though he was, Death hadn稚 the heart to take him, The diligent, muttering scribe. Already, the world had forgotten him, His ideas shining like coins. He worked alone, With little or nothing to eat. His table was littered with pages. Death looked on: Perhaps an exception in his case. Why be forever bound? Am I not free to choose? While Death thought thus, The old scribe continued his work. He had long outlived his fear. Let Death come, let it not come. To him it was all the same. There was a time, Death said, When I would have laughed At such an attitude. Or been offended. But that time, that time, is gone. Though I might crush him with a single blow, This scribe isn稚 the least bit concerned. Death smiled to himself: It seems I am losing my touch. Still, he did not act. Could not. He began to ponder his own eternal nature, And the grim task he had been given to perform. When was I born? Not ever, not ever. When will I die? Never? How can this be? Who made this decision for me? And another thought: Do I not murder? One by one, Death remembered: The tiny children, the mothers, the wives. Death remembered the strong young men And the wise grandmothers he had buried: So cruel, and by my own blood-soaked hands. Yet poets liken me to winter and autumn: See how Death paints the leaves and fields; Thus he prepares us for the bright season ahead. He wept. The old scribe heard the sound. He turned, then went to Death痴 side: Forgive me, my friend. I am old, I did not know you were here. He placed his hand, Warm from the work he loved, On Death痴 weary shoulder. *September 17, 2005* Previous Entry Next Entry Return to Songs and Letters About the Author	Also by William Michaelian POETRY Winter Poems ISBN: 978-0-9796599-0-4 52 pages. Paper. 覧覧覧覧覧 Another Song I Know ISBN: 978-0-9796599-1-1 80 pages. Paper. 覧覧覧覧覧 Cosmopsis Books San Francisco Signed copies available Main Page Author痴 Note Background Notebook A Listening Thing Among the Living No Time to Cut My Hair One Hand Clapping Songs and Letters Collected Poems Early Short Stories Armenian Translations Cosmopsis Print Editions Interviews News and Reviews Highly Recommended Let痴 Eat Favorite Books & Authors Useless Information Conversation E-mail & Parting Thoughts Flippantly Answered Questions
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