There’s a strange bird in the tree
warbling weird birdsong at me.
I’m listening lazily.
~ Thinking that there will be a long time
of contemplating death ~
The sun shines down on me
and I’m smiling uncontrollably.
What a wonderful day to be.
She was not a saint, she was not an angel
She was my sister,
She was a mother,
a grandmother,
a cousin and an aunt.
She was loved by us all
and also by others.
She was not a saint, she was not an angel.
God will decide on that,
but she was saintly, and she was angelic
and will always be remembered as that.
The tree
The flowers in the valley
Purple like fruit punch
I see Sandra by the pine tree
She’s crouched down talking to a little girl
The clouds above look like an elephant version of ABBA
Oh wait that little girl might be me
But a memory
Because I am not under the tree yet
I am still a leaf
The unemployed prophet
By: Dustin Branum
Please don't take his name in vain
for it is I the one to blame
It is I that disgraced his holy name
I and I alone shall bear the pain
of his wrath and the devils flame
This knowledge is the curse that possesses me
Unable to fulfill my Destiny
I've lost my heart, my soul, my reason to be
Cause by hate, fear and uncertainty
And for the ones that loved me it isn't fair
How can they trust when sanity isn't there
My mind and soul in disrepair
And I think it's my fault that no one cares
Revenge is a suggestion but do I dare
The anger and hatred I shouldn't share
Violently shaking my fists in the air
Crying to God but he isn't there
My demons are starting to laugh at me
I curse his name in blasphemy
I cannot fulfill what you ask of me
Maybe it never was my Destiny
Maybe you should find somebody else to do your dirty work
To sunless blinding gloom of devil,
And wrapped in dark shadows of evil,
The soulless void of faith
Would sure befall ‘pon death---
Those that in ego’s spell their soul kill. || 3 ||
____________________
Translations | 03.09.2026 | dark, death, evil, faith, Rhyming Quintain
Note: This verse says, do not kill your soul, the atman, or else, …Bhagavad-Gita also says: uddharet atmana atmanam, na atmanam avasadayet... Lift up your soul by yourself, never thwart it. He’s your friend and foe depending on how you treat it.
There is wealth of wisdom in ancient Sanskrit texts . This series on Jewels from Upanishads covers selected verses from various Upanishads of which there are as many as 120. We select a few verses only the major ones, beginning with Ishaa Vaasyam. The translation here is not verbatim but freely done. The transliteration of the verse follows. Alas I have to remove all the transliteration symbols.
asuryah nama te lokah
andhena tamasa-avrtah |
tan te pretya abhi-gachchanti
ye ke cha atma-hanah janah || 3 ||
The word a-suryah means sunless, if spelled asuryah, it would mean barbaric or evil.
I'm face down in the river
And drowning from my old sins
I've shaken my last shiver
As the silent night begins
Chorus:
I'll sing my sea song
Pounded by the weather
Heading into nether
Come along
I'll sing my sea song
Angels in the heather
Frightened by the weather
Bang a gong
I'm drifting in the river
That washes me out to sea
I'm tug boat delivered
To the only place I should be
Chorus:
I'll sing my sea song
I couldn't catch the weather
I'm drowning in the nether
Broke the gong
I'll sing my sea song
I'm never saying never
I'm living here forever
Right or wrong
Empty chair,
no student sitting in it.
The teacher was planning on changing seats on November 5th, but now that she’s gone she can’t stand not seeing her there.
A girl planned to die November 4th because it was the day of her absolute misery the year before.
and she was successful.
Which is what everyone told her she could never be.
The girl was struggling to keep up and was trying her hardest, but her hardest wasn’t enough.
The only thing she was good at was reminding herself of reasons to leave.
her teacher was one of them.
She loved her math teacher, she reminded her so much of teachers she’s had before, but that’s what killed her.
Knowing that her teacher would continue to change the seating chart.
Because she couldn’t stand to not see the board any more.
As I lay in bed
The unicorns on the blanket
Suddenly don’t look so nice
But not too mean yet either
I wait throughout the night
For my friend to finally come
I stare patiently at the ceiling
Hoping my BFF will show
I
Wait
and
Wait
and
WAIT
Until finally
My closet opens up
I jump and clap
Though quietly
My friend has finally come
We play a lot
Out in the streets
Which makes it hard
To see his face
But that's okay
I don’t like his face
Why?
I Don’t Like His Face
His Face
That has no eyes anymore
Not after he told me
To give them to my neighbor
I don’t see my neighbor anymore
His Face
That has a nose
But only two slitted holes
Instead of a bump
My friend says its for hunting
His Face
That has a really scary mouth
A mouth with super duper long teeth
A mouth with only one purpose
Which is…
Will you tell anyone?
It’s a secret
What his mouth does
The Mouth that eats
The Souls of
My real friends
My mommy and daddy
Anyone I care about
Just because I messed up
Once
Just Once
Just Once for
My friends to be gone
Well, except for one
My Best Friend
THE NIGHTJAR
How slow
Blood spreads
The ripple's last ring
How still her step
The edge of dreams
The bell`s cold lip
The hammer`s kiss
How time has swept
On that last swing
A room where Death
Refused his leave
An honored guest
Still one so grieves
There'll be no rest
Next nightfall brings
I'll stay my breath
The Nightjar sings
NEXT EXIT BABYLON
They raised their cups
Splashed their wine
It ran with blood
through vein and vine
Where Satyrs' hoofs
Pawed with fight
Tunics fell
Laurels twine
Lips were bit
Breasts were held
Brands, hot, brought
The coals of Hell
Seared the flesh
With Saturn's breath
Number-Lot
To buy and sell
On tables, neat
Both man and Beast
Blessed their bread
Cursed their meat
Great hills of brick
They pulled the dead
Like babes, reborn
Out crawled the sick
The dogs wore crowns
Of broken bone
Like sacred cows
Left free to roam
They raised their snouts
Bared their teeth
Barked and growled
And joined the feast
*continued from pt 2*
Our physical bodies are numb, and our souls, tormented. It’s why some of us hurt ourselves. We feel a lack of purpose, draining our desire to go on. With no purpose, no love, and nothing but brutal lapses in our thoughts and emotions, will we ever be able to break free?
We are the ones who wish to die and escape this world in hopes of finding a better life after death. Our only hope is put into things we cannot see or feel. And that lingering, underlying hope is what will either keep us alive to see another day, or it will be what sends us on. Peace is what we are in pursuit of. To bad we’ll never know when and how we might attain it until its already too late.
Please read parts 1 and 2 for a fuller picture on the state of mind of those who struggle with severe depression, mental illness, and suicidal ideation.
Thank you for reading.
I wish to die whilst I might slumber;
Let Old Age smooth my path away;
With no accounts remaining proper;
No innocent worlds in disarray;
And should a peace exist in vision;
Which legends, myths and cults do sow;
I hope with my true love reunion;
Or wait if they be yet to follow.
And yet, should my account be tainted;
And legends, myths and cults beware;
A journey to a depth recanted;
With restlessness as common fare;
And there alone in spite and fury;
No love to balm and bound my geist;
I wish regret for a life unruly;
No eternal angst to be my price.
So knowing not when I may exit;
Nor having sight to know what truths;
I wish this life devoid of conflict;
Where Nature smiles as balance rules.
For what then life if then not sharing;
To not see death as sweet release;
We are not human if not caring,
A mild and worthy life finds peace.
I miss you enough to be warm today, my salt- stained pillows would tell you the truth
But the walls around my heartstrings may be made of rocks
So that no one may enter the fortress, you made for me
The fortune you left for me, of your ambitions, your radiance
I drown in melancholy, once in a while, secretly
But I keep finding my way, just like you'd taught me
I keep writing in hopes that you may read, or answer
Maybe talk? Send something from the clouds somehow
I keep writing the same things, I look at the sky
I know you and I, now cross down different paths
Me of life, you of land that never lets you make it back
Land of- I'd give it up in a second to see you smile
I know, i know- I'm foolish, I realize
I lost you to the worst part of time
So when I close my eyes, I see your face
I feel your warmth, your joy, your grace
And I see the light that'd would lead me down
To the roads you said would lead me home
All my what-ifs down the same way, to you
Always towards you.
________________________
These two pieces captures the soaring arrogance, profound pride, and fiery confidence that characterize some poets’ iconic style. Amrit Ghayal (the first quatrain) was legendary for his fierce, larger-than-life poetic persona, and this specific quatrain perfectly showcases the sheer power he attributed to the poet's pen. The second quatrain, a part of free translation, adds to what he said in the first.
_____________________
For nectar of life fend I can,
Vie with Death’s hands--- defend I can.
My song of life a life-giver,
I pen, make dead stones stand I can.
With fire of ink, life blend I can,
The decrees of Fate bend I can.
Though time erases empires vast,
The history’s lease end I can.
_______________________
Reflections | 25.09.2026| death, life, poet, song, Quatrain
Note: The first quatrain is a free translation of a Gujarati Piece by Amrit Ghayal as under:
Amrit thi hoth aentha kari shakuñ chuñ,
Mrityu na hath palmañ hetha kari shakuñ chuñ.
A mari shayari ae sanjivani che, Ghayal,
Shayar chuñ paliya ne betha kari shakuñ chuñ.
We live and love, then pass away.
Memories of us linger on
inside the hearts of those who stay.
We live and love, then pass away.
We leave behind our DNA
and to our heirs – a brand new dawn.
We live and love, then pass away.
Memories of us linger on
Death Categories
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anniversary, brother, cat, child, dog, elegy, eulogy, father, friend, funeral, goodbye, grandfather, grandmonther, grief, in loving memory, loss, lover, memorial, missing you, mother, moving on, pet, rip, sad, sister, suicide, sympathy,
and more.
Definition | What is Death in Poetry?
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.
Related Poetry Forms
afterlife, bereavement, darkness, death of a friend, decease, demise, departure, dying, eternal rest, extinction, fatality, grave, grim reaper, heaven, loss, lost love, mortality, paradise, parting, passing, passing over, repose, sleep, the end, tomb