The Reaper Rides
by Angie Hexum
And so it begins
with the death of a friend,
the Reaper is on the ride.
Two years younger than you,
his promise came due,
request for extension denied.
Now you’re on the list
Death tucks in his vest,
as he spurs on his steed to a gallop
to scour the land
and harvest by hand
fresh souls with a scythe and a mallet.
Don’t make a sound!
If you keep your head down,
he just might miss you this pass.
Then savor each breath
that you’ve stolen from Death
cuz he’s comin’ back for your ass.
with the death of a friend,
the Reaper is on the ride.
Two years younger than you,
his promise came due,
request for extension denied.
Now you’re on the list
Death tucks in his vest,
as he spurs on his steed to a gallop
to scour the land
and harvest by hand
fresh souls with a scythe and a mallet.
Don’t make a sound!
If you keep your head down,
he just might miss you this pass.
Then savor each breath
that you’ve stolen from Death
cuz he’s comin’ back for your ass.
Angie Hexum is a speech-language pathologist by trade. Some of her fondest childhood memories are of her grandfather reading poems in his Tennessee drawl. Poe's "Annabel Lee" was among them. Her own poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Caesura and Gyroscope Review.