I asked him where he was going,
And he said that he didn't know.
Then I asked him where he came from,
And he said, "Who wants to know?"
And I wondered a lot about him
As he turned and shuffled away.
And he walked with a stoop and a stagger,
And his hair was long and gray.
And I watched him fade in the distance
Till I turned at last to go.
And I knew not what his name was,
And I guessed that I'd never know.
Till the moon came over the mountain,
And the stars came out to play,
And I saw through the haze of moonlight
This figure all bent and gray.
And he came and he stood beside me.
For a moment I felt his breath.
And he spoke in a muted whisper,
And he said that his name was death.
And he said that he came from nowhere,
That he had no place to go.
Not that it really mattered.
Just thought he'd let me know.
His Name Was Death
Published by Family Friend Poems November 2017 with permission of the Author.
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