a date with death and other poems - nabeel siddiqui
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a date with death and other poems - nabeel siddiqui

a date with death


Beneath the moon and twinkling stars a mortal resides not much afar

who wanders the hills every night Oblivious of the other souls and sprites

Every night he comes and walks around or sits by the creek and listens to its sound

and when the night comes to an end He bids goodbye and to his home he wends

All his nights were spent like that smoking and thinking while he sat

whether this life is worth the pain or all of this is just in vain?

Then one night did not go as he planned when he stumbled upon an empty land

a silent chill, a lonely top a barren earth thirsty for rain drops

No trees or plants or animals around Just a dark figure sitting upon a mound

He took some time to gather the strength

Walked towards it stopping at arm’s length

With every step he could feel the growing chill

He now knew why there was no life on that hill

A scythe, a skeleton, a cloak, and a veil

Only darkness around with a distant wail

The figure turned to see a smiling mortal

A first for her regardless of being immortal

Even her stare could not rob him of his smile

He whispered to her: "After all this while."

You are mistaken, I am not whom you seek

"I am Death," she said in a voice so meek

"I know who you are", the mortal said,

"The reason behind all that is dead."

"And still you are smiling with me so near,"

Said death after sensing everything but fear

"I wanted to know how it felt around you

Will it be the end of life or start of a new?"

"I wish I could answer but I am afraid I cannot"

And all his efforts led to naught

After a little talk death got up to leave

Disappointed, that mortal could only heave

"I will see you when you take your last breath."

And that was the end of his date with death.


death's friend


It was cold and dark that night with the whole town covered in grim and while every house wore despair people hid behind bibles and hymns


They knew what all of it meant the dark and cold and morose it was death on its way to them and with every breath it grew close


But this time it was different as death gave them all a choice to save their lives and of others and just make one little sacrifice


The sacrifice of a human soul a soul which no longer lives and the people stood there baffled not knowing whose life to give


Death laughed at its cruel joke and watched them shiver with fear these helpless little souls covered in despair and tears


His laugh was interrupted with footsteps of a figure which resembled a man who approached death with a smile something that death couldn’t understand


His joke had turned on him it was time to keep his word and the whole town celebrated while the man and death blurred


On their way to the other side Death understood in the end that after all this while he might have found a friend.


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