Memento Mori

The bells scream out (though they are scarce of breath)
And in the streets young women sit and weep
for idols lost. Dispatches of your death
reach those who loved you. Cold and changing sleep
crept oโer the one who once inspired verse
to pour from vessels worthier than she
could ever know. The flower-laden hearse
Rounds (slowly) corners on the road to thee.
At end of road (as others must have found)
that road which had begun with screaming birth:
She comes to rest in withered flower-mound
To sate the raven-hunger of the earth.
It matters not if you are meek or bold
To he who kisses every cheek with cold.

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Comments
Elegantlyย written J, Its exceptionally good, I could almost feel the cold kiss of deathย :)
Thank you.
I wrote this about six years ago. Partly inspired by the dream sequence in Dante'sย La Vita Nuova; hence the use of Rossetti's painting of that scene: the rest was derived from lines taken from a journal entry I wrote the night I first visited my mother's grave, alone, a few daysย after her funeral. And long before I went for a jaunt across the south side of Dublin!
Thanks again, L.
J x
well, I am very glad you shared this,ย so thanks :)ย
Lorna x
wow brilliant piece J.
Thanks, Lisa. Your continuing interest and support means a great deal to me.
And I'll be round to read your latest work momentarily!
J x
Brilliant write Jason ....that inevitable ย cold kiss comes to all.
I couldn't help but think of Cohen, Prince or Bowie here.
Regards.......Mick.
Mick...
When I was born, I was given three weeks to live. I am now 38 years old and still very much alive!! Yes, that inevitable cold kiss comes to all; you yourself have felt the brush of the wings of Thanatos in the cold night: but that's no reason to make it easy for him...demi-godย or not! Though it may go some way to explaining my seeming obsession!!
Thank you. It means a lot to me.
J.
Hey Jason , a very cool piece . I felt like you took me to that place with your words. A worthy nominee to win in my book . Happy new year to you . Rock
That's very kind of you to say. Thank you.
J ;)
well done, J, Well deserved ย ;) X
Thank you, Lorna.
Happy New Year to you.
J x
Happy new year x
Congrats Jason.....delighted to see you among the winners .....you clearly deserve it !
Best wishes for a poetic 2017........Mick.
Thanks Mick. And to you. It's humbling to be in such august company.
May your talent find matching inspiration in the coming year...and, not to rush you, but I'm still waiting on that calendar/paper cuts poem I basically begged you to write a few days ago!!! ?
J ;)
Congrats Jason!
It's a hauntingly beautiful poem, taking me to the corners of my heart which I didn't know I had.
Thank you. The corners are always there; unfortunately, it's impossible to see round them...so we never can tell who or what we'll meet!!
I hope you discover nothing but inspiration and joy round every corner in this bright new year.
J ;)
Shukriya for the wishes! Wishing you the same Jason!
I sometimes wish I knew how to cut off and discard some corners of my heart.
ย
Over the course of my life, I have undergone open heart surgery several times. I can tell you, from personal experience...cutting corners is rarely a good idea!
But the heart wants what the heart wants (to get rid of, apparently!).
J ;)
Oh dear! Hope ll's well now.
The wants and needs of our heart and mind. They make us do everything!
Yes indeed. Make us do everything...make us want everything...make us tame and dominate and fear everything. They are what drive us to greatness and despair; to love and hate. They are the impetus behind every 'who' and 'what' that we are. They are the very essence of poetry;ย but it's up to us to shape them into art.
I'm fine, thank you.
J.
congrats on a well deserved win J
XX Lisa
Thank you, Lisa.
Your poetry and words of encouragement and love are ever a joy to read.
I'm glad to call you my friend, here in the vast cosmos.
Happy New Year to you and you family.
J x
YOUR family!!...was what I meant, obviously. It's very late over here...and it's been a long day.
xxx
very interesting piece Jason, congratulations
Thank you.
And a very Happy New Year.
J.
excellent sonnet, Jason, good to see classic poetry being recognized again; not many can write a good sonnet, you're quite good....to like or not to like any given poem, perhaps it'sย a matter of taste, but this is a good choice (in my opinion) to start the year especially, terrific read, poet, I will be paying much more attention to your work in the coming months, happy new year and congratulations
Thank you very much.
A very Happy New Year to you too.
J.
Hi Jason,
Wow. ย It did not take you long to make your mark on the Cosmo world. ย After just recently meeting you online and trading some correspondence, I told Linda that you were astute and erudite. ย You certainly proved my point quickly. ย Congratulations on your success. ย I look forward to a long poetic relationship with you.
Peace and Love,
Larry xxx
Ah Larry,
Thank you so very much for your kind words. As Oscar Wilde said, "The only thing worse than being talked about...is not being talked about!" Of course that rather depends on what people are saying about you; as Oscar himself later discovered.
I've been remiss in keeping up our correspondence of late; I've missed our exchanges and quips: and shall endeavour to rectify that in the coming year.
My very warmest wishes to you and yours for a peaceful, prosperous and poetry-filled New Year.
your friend,
Jason ;)
This is an awesome piece J...Congratulations on a well deserved win...look forward to learning from you....Happy New Year
Thank you so very much, Rose.
Having read some of your work, I can assure you that there's nothing you need to learn from me...quite the reverse, actually.
A very Happy New Year to you too.
J x
I know you're kidding J...I got a lot to learn from you...I love learning from people who know really the art and you're definately one of them...Looking forward to reading more from you
Congrats on your win. Wonderful writing and flow. Rebecca
Thank you so very much.
A very Happy New Year to you, Rebecca.
J.
Hi Jason Congratulation A sonnet to be proudย
of. I look forward to reading more of your workย
Best wishes Debsย