Death Bed Poetry: Dylan Thomas

Death Bed Poetry: Dylan Thomas

Alcohol and co-dependence make poor conspirators
Delivering more a life driven by inquisitors
Dylan Thomas poet and drinker
Part time lover and full-time thinker

In fading health and across the sea
He gathered himself for one last spree
The White Horse Tavern welcomed the man
And there he started his final stand

"I've had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that's the record!"
Alcohol, pneumonia, and Doctor Feltenstein were more than he could afford
Caitlin flew in to remark, "Is the bloody man dead yet?"
Comatose and failing, the bard was not quite there yet.

Still and silent, and lying abed
A few hours later and Dylan was dead
having gone "Gentle into that good night"
with no further words and such little fight.

Thus, the end of our Welsh poet Dylan
a bit of a rogue but not such a villain
who now learns Death does have dominion
in spite of the bard's differing opinion.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

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Rodgers Avatar
November 1, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Hello Danny, Congrats on taking 8th in my contest. What a sharply drawn portrait, elegiac in tone, yet unafraid to confront the contradictions that shaped Thomas’s final days. I appreciated how you balanced wit and reverence, allowing the poem to function as both tribute and reckoning. It’s a clear-eyed farewell, and one that doesn’t flinch. Autumn Blessings, Danny, Daniel
Derden Avatar
November 2, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Thank you so much.
Sharma Avatar
October 12, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Oh! such a sad ending for a great poet.
Derden Avatar
October 12, 2025 at 6:47 AM
True.
Etgen-Baker Avatar
October 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Dylan Thomas was a genius and probably misunderstood. Liked the flow and imagery of your poem and the way you captured Dylan's last words.
Derden Avatar
October 10, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Thank you...like so many he was underappreciated while alive and like so many more we lost him too soon.
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