Death is not sudden, death does not grieve, <br />Death takes a while to achieve. <br />Death comes in layers; <br />Death is the mouse <br /> From under the couch <br />At three am, and from under the stairs. <br /> <br />Death is the tumour on my mother’s skin, <br />Death is a jackhammer pounding in. <br />Death is a scrabbling crab on all fours, <br />Death is a jaguar on rough padded paws, <br /> Lurking in the oven doors, <br />And hiding in the bureau drawers. <br /> <br />Death is the lump within my breast, <br />Death is the invited dinner guest. <br />Death is the cadaver, <br />A slab of cold meat <br /> That lies on a plate. <br />Death is the wall of frozen sleet. <br />Death to me comes much too late.<br /><br />Caroline Misner<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/learning-to-die/
