The Sacred Art of Dying

darkness come caress me now
and as I die I weep
my body lies here limp and 
cold 
I prepare myself for eternal 
sleep
a million miles of starry skies 
to me they look like sparkling 
eyes 
that come to watch me die
but then they're blocked from 
my view 
by a deity with soft black wings
i know he's here to comfort 
me
though death is what he brings 
it's odd 
it feels as though he loves me 
he strips my clothes away
his wings caress me now as he 
holds me 
and we begin to sway
he holds me close to his chest
as a mother holds her child
sheltering me as i leave 
the wicked and the wild
and i can succumb 
because now i feel so weak
then i see a tear 
fall from his eyes and wet my 
Cheek
it's over now he kisses me 
he longs to taste my breath
and as if he longed for more 
he sucks it from my chest
his lips linger over mine 
for he knows when he pulls 
away
the fire in me that screamed to 
life 
will not see another day
Darkness come caress me now 
and as i die he weeps
and now that i feel no longer 
scared
he lulls me off to sleep

Copyright © | Year Posted 2010



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Date: 11/25/2023 8:02:00 AM
Congratulations dear friend on your inclusion of your awesome poetry in Poetry Soups third Anthology - Reflections on the Important Things. Blessings, Jennifer.
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Date: 11/11/2023 9:03:00 AM
Wow!! What a profound poem!!!
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Date: 10/17/2021 8:49:00 AM
What a unique painfully beautiful way of accepting the death angel.
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Date: 2/23/2019 2:58:00 PM
Hello Joanna Smith, so nice to meet you.If death is lie this .... then it will be peaceful.. Have a nice day my friend.
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Date: 11/26/2017 6:36:00 AM
This is so soothing, comparing death to comfortable sleep:) well written, Joanna:)
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Date: 8/1/2016 9:58:00 AM
You've captured the beauty and the ugliness of death so completely I'm at a loss for words.
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Date: 2/21/2016 7:42:00 AM
A lulling depiction of dying... excellent!!!
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Date: 3/23/2013 10:01:00 AM
Wow hauntingly beautiful it's funny how the rawest emotions in us can produce such wonderfully melancholic prose
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Date: 3/22/2013 4:56:00 PM
If you look on the side where it says contest... click on Contest Winners: Member, and there you can view all the contest by date... Joanna, I'm ready to post a new contest in an hour maybe you want to check it out... always~ Linda
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Date: 1/2/2013 3:22:00 PM
Such a vivid rendering of death, makes me feel the reality of what we all must face. Great writing for sure! :)
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Date: 7/29/2012 9:47:00 PM
Joanna, i'm a little late congratulating all my sisters past contest. I'm enjoying all the DARK EERIE POETRY TALES. entries..*Looks like it was a fun CONTEST* Thank you for the entertainment :-) very eeeerie of you... take care~PD
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Date: 7/27/2012 12:59:00 PM
Congratulations on your win in ~SKAT~'s "Dark Eerie" contest Joanna. Love, Carol
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Date: 7/26/2012 3:53:00 AM
Congratulations on your winning write Joanna xx
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Date: 7/25/2012 10:22:00 AM
Joanna super congrats on your win, excellent write...this is a great write..David
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Date: 7/20/2012 2:53:00 AM
A remarkable piece. I love your beginning and ending four lines, and the rich imagery. The sense of their being a benevolent 'reaper' is quietly comforting. Marvelous phrases... too many to mention, and a great title. Well done! Best wishes, Keith
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Date: 1/24/2011 8:10:00 AM
I still remember the first time that I read this, the visual is still there and so are the feelings this amazing poem has brought forward. Still one of my favorites. -Echo
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Date: 3/2/2010 12:07:00 PM
O.O me like. the images just made me go under my covers like there's a ghost in the room or somn. awesome---Mike Ruff
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Date: 2/27/2010 7:18:00 PM
Definitely better, Joanna. Beautifully written (and for me, you didn't even need the explanation ... smile) with great imagery. Keep up the great writing !! and thank you so much for your recent comment ... its much appreciated.
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Date: 2/25/2010 2:14:00 PM
This was breath taking. you made a topic such as morbid death, beautiful and graceful. Thank you for one of the best reads i've ever experienced.
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Date: 2/25/2010 1:55:00 PM
This is Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!
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Date: 2/25/2010 6:18:00 AM
the title of this poem is BEAUTIFUL... It has just got hold of me.... in a delightfully serene way. Thanks
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Date: 2/25/2010 6:16:00 AM
I liked this poem. Angel of death.. you have brought him out beautifully. Its funny how words get stuck in our minds and when we begin our way of tracing their impressions they lead us into such different places. I write so that i can know what the phrase wants me to discover and learn, where it wants to take me. Thanks for your words and hope that we can continue sharing notes and ideas. wishing u many more brilliant journeys.
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Date: 2/24/2010 2:24:00 PM
i really like this poem.
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Date: 2/24/2010 2:18:00 PM
Dear Jo, I just read your poem, The Sacred Art of Dying, and I’m pleasantly surprised. This is one of the better poems that I’ve seen in Poetrysoup. Sometimes I read poetry that I don’t enjoy, but this poem was a pleasure because you have a real gift. Thanks for your comment on my poem. It’s not a world I will ever find, but I can dream, can’t I? Love, Amy.
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Date: 2/23/2010 1:43:00 PM
One thing you definitely have is a unique imagination. Wow! I never would have thought of this. With that unique perspective, you should go far. I have found that there are three P's in Perfect: practice, patience and perserverance. Thank you for your kind comment. You have talent. Regards, Gerard.
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