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.)