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The Squelch of Death

I heard the squelch of death again
Now closer than it’s ever been—
   I can’t look back; I cannot pause,
Lest it might overtake me then.

I fear its face, its famished jaws,
Its awesome eyes, its grasping claws,
   As close behind, that baleful tread, 
Relentless in pursuit, now draws.

And though we choose to think instead
Of gentler things not fraught with dread,
   Yet still we’ll hear that squelch again--
When Atropos will cut the thread.


September 14, 2019
(This was written for Nina Parmenter's "Random Lines" contest... the line I chose was "I heard the squelch of death". Note that, for the contest entry, this was classified as a "Rhyme", which of course it is, but I am reclassifying it now more precisely.)

anxietydeathfearrubaiyat

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Pashang Salehi

November 19, 2019 at 1:17 AM

This is really nice and I read your explanation. You selected Rubaiyat, The rhyming of the first Rubai is not correct... Again does not rhyme with been and then. Pain, rain, plain would have been much better. The second and third Rubai are great.

J P Marmaro

November 19, 2019 at 10:50 PM

Hi , Pashang. Yes, in British English "been" rhymes with "green" and "again" with "pain"; but in American English, both rhyme quite acceptably with "then" . (In other forms of American English, "been" is pronounced like "bin" not "ben"-- so I was aware the choice of rhymes for that Rubai was perhaps less than ideal; but not strictly wrong, either.) This was in any case not meant to be a formal Rubaiyat-- some of which I have written elsewhere. Thanks for your comment!