Sunday, January 25, 2009

A Postscript to Spoon River Anthology


Spoon River Anthology is a collection of free form poems by Edgar Lee Masters about a fictional town called Spoon River. Each poem is an epitaph of each of the citizens delivered by the dead themselves. Here's is one that I wrote. Enjoy!

Change was constant in my Life
I’ve seen different places, different things, different people
Some of which gave me unspeakable joy
Others – a stabbing horror into my heart
Everyday held a task that I had to do
Some I meet with a delightful happiness,
But others put a fear that consumed my very being.
Failures, achievements came as the day closed into darkness
My closest friends became Tears and Loneliness.
In a crowded room Loneliness was there beside me,
Holding my hand tightly.
As I went to sleep and closed my eyes,
Tears moved his warm hands down my face.
But my greatest friend, I could always find by a lit red candle.
I would often go to my friend by the red candle with Tears and Loneliness
But Tears and Loneliness would stand aback
As my friend by the red candle held me lovingly in His arms.
As His blood dripped from His head to mine
I was reminded of what He did for me.
Though my life these three friends accompanied me
Though the failures and the achievements there they were – always near.
Even at death there they were.
As I lay dying I found myself cold
With Tears’ hands on my face
Loneliness holding my hand tightly
And my friend by the red candle, holding me in His strong loving arms,
With the greatest love in world.
And I believe, with all my heart, that there is no great friend than Him – My friend by the red candle.
Can any one guess who my friend by the little red candle is? It will be revealed in next post.