(Thanks, Ken)
1.
The silver dollars
upon the eyes of dead men,
ready for the boatman's call.
Let us pay no more
penance than that, those two coins,
and cross the Styx unburdened.
2.
Unto Hades now
the shades of us clinging fast
to only sweet memories.
For, bodyless and
unbound, we spirits in the
gloom may make Elysian fields.
2 comments:
Now this one, I think, ties perfectly to the last. As we make that final journey, what can we truly take from here? Memories if we're lucky, luckier still if those memories are of a life fulfilled not spent in attainment of material objects...
Bill,
All you get to take with you are your experiences. I'd say that the best thing to do is to collect as many good experiences as possible before someone comes and shuts the lights out.
Ken,
I thought about the silver coins on the eyes when I read your "Death" poem. That lead me to the boatman, then the rest of the Greek iconography. It seemed to mesh well with the rhythm of the Sedoka form. Like the Haiku, the Sedoka seems very flexible.
Thanks to both of you for your comments.
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