Thanatos Poems | Examples


List of Member Poems

EROS AND THANATOS

EROS AND THANATOS

Only we will ever know
The sadness of our love
Like stone climbing ivy
The ramparts far above
What waters it will wake
A cold indifferent lake
Thrashing in the shallows
Crashing in the waves
Smooth, a shell abandoned
Tangled in the weeds
Soft and supple moss
Growing on the trees
What wounded prey to follow
What forests we will stalk
On paths beaten narrow
We alone have walked
A war of resistance
Beaten into dust
Only we will ever know
The sadness of our loss

Premium Member Thanatos

He carried the stench of death upon him
so he had, from birth, and all knew but he.
All he met, unknown, sang a silent hymn
that he would not touch, so extend the spree.

Yet, he lived amongst them, as fate decreed
for those, caressed who had such little choice
turned to other deities to intercede;
they were not there, or did not hear their voice.

So death followed him, a pitying trail
across far distances, and endless space;
leaving a few, untouched, to mourn and wail;
that is the cycle of our human race.

Premium Member Thanatos

visions of Thanatos arose in frenzied throes
I crumbled ‘neath his stare, and froze in sudden scare


Premium Member Neither Hypnos, Oneiros, nor Thanatos

Into the world, I, chosen, born
     marked with the finger of their God
upon my crown: a child of scorn
     who fled to the rich land of Nod,
a land of hope and fields of corn,
     of much to curse, and much to laud.

With angels, I called forth arcs of lightning
     from out of the sky—and their power
in my outstretched hands was frightening.
     But Nod's hatred, an evil shower,
denied youth's harsh but gradual brightening  
     of my childhood's most tender hour.

Then came the wraith! Though frightened, I  
     caught a full glance of the grim reaper.
At my bedside, stood it silently by,
     as I peered at it ever deeper;
then it vanished! as I breathed a sigh, 
     frozen like a dead toddler sleeper!

Thanatos

Place your hand on this desperation
And save this dying soul
Don't take me into the wilderness: Don't let me survive
Crucify me, but don't call me Jesus
I am the soul that has refused to die
Thanatos, my body, mind and heart, thanatos!!!
Kill me but don't let me feel the pain
Destroy me; turn me into ashes but don't burn me
I want to be me
Still me I am not: I see me killing I
Trapped in a maze of endless tails; gasping and clutching to an escaping breath;
I scream a scream-less yawn of this once flamboyant soul;
I refuse to die; I choose to run towards the rising sun;
that paints the face of God;
Yet I still within my desperation
Connecting to the killer within
Surround me intently but
Hopes of the ancient poetry.
Please don't engage my screaming in... 
Cut off the American soother from within me
Because this soul can't dwell around you.

Thanatos

Light-blind, we stumble onto stage,
Our role is drafted by the unknown gods;
We search for meaning on the scripted page,
Our life’s beginning from director’s nods.
Our end may come before we come of age;
We long to leave mankind a true message.
We know not when we come or when we go,
Yet life is ours to hide from or to know.

Light-blind, we enter from the wing,
Our lines we speak with hushed anticipation.
We seek to be among the stars who sing,
To choose with whom we share participation.
But blind men only walk with those who ring
And grasp the tattered lengths of saving string.
We know not when our words will speak our truth,
The song depends on hearts to hear its proof.

Light-blind, we’re pulled from parts we play
To roles we would not seek to play a part;
We wait then, for the gods to find a way
To place or not to place us back at start.
We look for day to end; to shadows lay;
For lights to dim the stage, deflect our lives
And offer us an exit from all strife.


Thanatos

Death is at your doorway, the reaper nears, cloaked in darkness,

His essence veiled. He knows your time is close at hand.

How now shall you meet Azrael? He is transported across the mortimer,

The sea of the dead, he has your name upon his list, he draws closer.

Quickly now whilst the choice is still yours, what shall it be?  A peaceful sleep as
breath departs undisturbed?

Maybe suicide, the tablets left  strewn upon the floor, as the grip of your dead fingers
cling still to the bottle?

Or do you chose fate, Let the book of the dead make the final entry of the last chapter,
that was once your life?

Carry with you the Asphodel, the pale yellow lily, food of the dead, for the banquet is
being prepared for you.

Libitina awaits to collect your corpse, the funeral procession she oversees, the world of
Hades awaits.

So tell me, which death do you chose? For the time is drawing near.

The Bride of Thanatos

Rapid heartbeats throb the rhythm
open up the final schism.
Dance around and  'round the flame,
till the beasties know your name.

  Heat the kettle on the grating,
stoke the fire,your fears are waiting.
Look deep down into the embers,
lies forget but truth remembers.

  where were you when hands were broken?
wishes wasted? Hopes unspoken?
Where were you when darkness faltered?
visions melted? Worlds were altered?

  Resting there with Thanatos,
While the ones you loved the most,
crossed the River Styx alone.
You failed us all,you can't atone!

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.

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