Poem: Against Death

"Against Death"

Stare Death in the eye when he follows you home,
Spit in his face and call him by his name.
For all we will do for Death is die:
We are not his partisans, and
we are not his spies
(the password and the plans of our city,
comrades, shall not by me be betrayed).
This is a fight song.
This is the rhythm in my bones.

Here: I hear their footsteps on the porch
I hear their whispers by the door
these are the ghosts who've stared him down before.
Stand up one says, and hold the line,
All must die, but let it be another day
do not wait for death, do not take him by the hand:
make him wait for you a little longer
make him work for every grain of sand.

Carve back a fragment from the dark,
a brick in the wall of love and memory
and let us stand, let us stand
if not forever, then as long as we may.

---

Some inspiration from Edna St. Vincent Millay.