Death Does Not Have The Final Say
David Whitfield 1966 (Sherman TX)
Death does not have the final say.
His last breath breathed, bare and exposed,
On the wind to lands beyond the setting sun:
When the scavengers discard his bones
And the sun bleaches them white,
He will sail past the stars and universe;
Once driven crazy, peace will lay over him,
Once buried in life’s dark torment, he will soar
Once love-scorned, he now lays in love’s arms
Because death does not have the final say.
Death does not have the final say.
Above, the grasses grow. Below, the worms burrow
But the dead know nothing
His journey here---torturous and tragic,
A scourge dealt to him severely as he cried forgiveness;
Not for himself, but for the hands that dealt it;
Forty lashes save one as strength poured from him
Earth rumbled as creation beheld the
Chains snapped as twine;
For death does not have the final say.
Death does not have the final say.
In trouble, trial or thorny path
Though waves break loudly on rocky shore,
Or flowers wilt in beating sun,
Or daisies pass before they’re done
One shoot rises from desert floor
Amidst the dry and thirsty earth, it says,
“While I am here, I will occupy this ground and
Give the grit of my being ‘til the very last breath.
And even the second after it is drawn, a conqueror.”
Death does not have the final say.
About this poem
If you seek to find the meaning to life, there is no question but that you must entertain what lies after it. Placing value on your time here, living each moment fully, and wringing the last drop of living out of each day makes the other side even worth the thought.
Written on March 31, 2021
Submitted by davidw.81707 on November 28, 2021
Modified on April 04, 2023
- 1:17 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | Axbxxxcdxa Axxxxxcxxa AxdbbdxxxxA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,294 |
Words | 258 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10, 11 |
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"Death Does Not Have The Final Say" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/114733/death-does-not-have-the-final-say>.
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