| Death Returns | | | | |
| | | | "I have detested you long enough. I first saw |
| Death returns: it found no resting place; | | | | you asa child-then when you were old enough |
| | | | to make friends |
| I saw it in flight, last night over the | | | | |
| Sierras;beneath the last sparks of twilight-! | | | | I saw you again.... It was you who worshiped |
| | | | my kindsof sins-then you broke away, but now |
| The condor's wings covered death's decent;and | | | | is the time to startcarving new adventures. |
| glides now through the air in peace! | | | | I have left one sap and root foryou-let there |
| | | | be commerce between us?" |
| Yet death's tail-shadow leaves at dawn, | | | | |
| toreturn at dusk, blue-bellied full-asif it | | | | I said back to Him, "Dark eyed, ivory |
| has swallowed a whale (once again). | | | | scandaled, thereis none like thee, among |
| | | | heaven, earth or hell; none withsuch swift |
| The condor, the condor, likened to a fly in a | | | | feet, like your tongue-dark as midnightare |
| webdeath finds no rest, only new flesh, new | | | | your shoulders-face of a dead seabed." |
| flesh! | | | | |
| | | | No: 1954, 8-28-2007 |
| No: 1949 8-27-2007 | | | | |
| | | | Selected for Death |
| Death: | | | | |
| | | | "No, no! Go from me-!" I left death lately in |
| The Roots of the Earth | | | | her sheath |
| | | | |
| Death has a way of saying Hello, when it | | | | -oh! Dim it was, for she surrounded me. |
| means Goodbye! | | | | |
| | | | Thin, are her arms, yet such a grip-they |
| We beings on earth's surface never really | | | | bound me,immoveable, and left me...cloaked, |
| disappear-only | | | | as in a web,a cocoon-subtle and swift she |
| | | | was, like magic, in herbinding. |
| Transform. | | | | |
| | | | "No, no! I cried, "go from me, I have still |
| From the moment of death the body will | | | | your taste-your scent, your soot, your |
| change, you can'thear it, it simply gets | | | | aye-halt!" |
| foggy-becoming the roots of the earth. | | | | |
| | | | (But she wouldn't listen.) |
| No: 1950 8-27-2007 | | | | |
| | | | No: 1952 8-28-2007 |
| The Mystery of Life | | | | |
| | | | Death Passed Me Once |
| How mysteries to be born a human being | | | | |
| | | | (1993) |
| -and then to die as one! | | | | |
| | | | This man knew the secrets of death |
| To be able to wash off those old fleshy | | | | |
| garmentsof bark and milky-clay...! | | | | (he cast them over my head). |
| | | | |
| We are the honored ones-(you know)given to a | | | | No man could know such things, unlesshe was |
| whole world system-:one hand reaching to | | | | part of it. |
| heaven the other to hell;the truth is, we | | | | |
| have two flavors. | | | | And now he's gone, he up and left- |
| | | | |
| Those who have not been born yet:man and | | | | (just like that...). |
| beast are not so far apart | | | | |
| | | | I called, "Are you near?" and he didnot |
| (and very hard to please). | | | | answer me back. |
| | | | |
| No: 1951 8-27-2007 | | | | Then at the end of my bed, I saw-why! |
| | | | |
| Dialogue with the Devil | | | | There stood in my hospital room, theeyes and |
| | | | shoulders of a great being: |
| "I'll make a pack with you," said He to me | | | | |
| (the Devil), | | | | He did not speak, -he simple watchedover me. |