Diction Of The Dying

Concrete beds wrote tales of stone

Frigid air waked flesh and bone

Breaking bread, humbled, alone

I blessed each day the sun still shone

Crying skies lent ballad’s blues,

Gratefulness for leather shoes

And sanctuary’s wooden pews

Kept confession’s tears from view

Tiny blossoms sprang with hope

Pen to paper’s how I’d cope

Haikus carved in cardboard coats

Cleansing me though sans of soap

Summer sun’s gold elements

Tempered my discouragement

In villanelles, weeping laments

I found my heart’s encouragement

Leaves decayed on brittle grass

Shortened days, gold never lasts

As naked trees stood, unabashed

I held my head high, this shall pass

Winter never broke my will

The passion raged inside me, still

Frostbit fingers gripping quills

“Homeless” only honed my skills

Until today, with fire waned

This finale verse drips from my veins

Graphite scratches, lead leaves stains

Of dying words, I pray remain

A cup of change from skipping meals

Sharing what no streets can steal

I signed my obit., stamped and sealed

Expressing death and how it feels

“Precious stones capture our gaze

But, only flint yields fire’s blaze

Growing cold in worlds of gray

Without my voice, I died today”