Death does play games, but they are not sophisticated,
Not chess, not even poker,
Children’s horror games
Played in the dark, in fancy dress,
Blind Man’s Buff,
Hide and Seek,
Or Chase, where Death is always It.
Death, with a terrible sense of humour,
Chooses to dress as a scorpion
Rearing up, the segmented belly,
The wicked arch, the poisoned point,
Ready to riposte
“Why yes, here’s my sting!
Ready or not, I’m coming!”
23rd November 2017
