John Anderson Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

"A life that's full of all the wealth and riches
Can never last for an eternity....
Prophecy of sky gods, the sun and moon
Passing of old ways will come true soon
They were praying to the gods of nature
And were living in the cities of stone
Towers reaching upward to the heavens
Sacred wonders for the world unknown
The lost book of souls, destruction begins."
- Extracts from The Book of Souls, a song by Iron Maiden

Listen to poem:

The Same Die Is Cast for One and All

The name of every soul
is written line by line,
without highlights or underlining
in the leaves of pages
of the book of souls.

The stone temples built
by kings that rise to the heavens,
fall as empires fade and crumble,
when the ledger must be made.

No human god can barter with the end,
no king can forever 
outrun the roll-call 
for their entry in the book of souls.

Praying to the gods of nature
building towers of stone
reaching skywards to the heavens
is all to no avail.

For the same die 
is cast, one for all.
With the passing of old ways
truth comes to all and sundry soon.

Etched in ink, bled from every soul,
each blot and stain 
is recorded alike, one and all,
in the book of souls.

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Robert James Liguori April 22, 2025 at 10:59 AM A wizard with words, you are! Great poem. Congrats on your placement. John Anderson April 22, 2025 at 11:19 AM Thanks very much, I am honored by the placement. Cheers and Best Wishes

Laura Leiser April 7, 2025 at 7:22 PM Excellent take on the mysterious Book of Souls, John! Your second to the last stanza is especially stunning as you sum up the human condition. Well done and GL in the contest. Enjoyed! :) John Anderson April 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM Thanks a lot. Cheers and Best Wishes!