Old Bones



I visit you in the night during the moon, as I can see you are restless.
                                Tossing
                                   and
                                Turning
Because your bones ache.

I subtly stroke the strands of white hair barely covering your spotted scalp.
                                 Dying
                                   and
                                Decaying
After being here for so long.

Find comfort in the fact that when your bones are swallowed by the earth, I will renew them.
                                Fresh
                                 and
                                Familiar
To make you feel young again.

I am not from the vapor clouds, nor am I from the heart of the earth.  
You will never see me.
You will never know me.
And when you are born anew, I will leave you.

So rest those old bones in that catafalque of cloth.
Unwrap your skin and let me take them.
Comments & reviews · 5
Note: You are not logged in, but you can still leave a comment or review. Before it shows up, a moderator will need to approve your comment (this is only a safeguard against spambots). Leave your email if you would like to be notified when your message is approved.

User avatar
Hannah
Review
Hannah wrote a review · Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:40 am

Hey, Antonio! Like the concept behind this, but some of it doesn't flow so well for me.
For example, why do you have to evoke the image of the night twice? You say "in the night" and "during the moon" means the same thing, so you should pick one!

Second, read this carefully:

I subtly stroke the strands of white hair barely covering your spotted scalp.


Repetition. Where?
subtly stroke
white hair
barely covering
spotted scalp

Everything has one modifier. This string has too many modified words. Yes, most of them bring in more images, but we can do better. First of all, adverbs usually bring down the strength of the verb they are with. If you need an adverb to get the effect you want, you probably just needed a different verb in the first place. Like "barely covering" can be turned into "smattering". One word to do the work of two. Choose carefully! So I'd say this line would be better as something like this:

I stroke the smattering of spots and white hair on your scalp,

You have all the same elements, but only ONE of the modified phrases! Yay~

The rest is very well done. The direct address is chilling, but not scary. It's just beyond speaking back to. I think MAYBE the fourth stanza could be reworked to feel less like a riddle ("You will never see me. You will never know me. What am I?"), but the last stanza is gorgeous and doesn't need to be changed at all.

Let me know, again, through PM or wall post if you have any questions! Good luck and thanks for the read. ( :

Thanks for the review! I actually entered this in a poetry contest and got third place, so that is why I asked you to read it. I see your suggestions and I'll take them. Thanks again :)

User avatar
Arcticus
Review

Beautiful! I read your other poem too and you have a style of your own.
I quite like your outlandish way of arranging stanzas

Dying
and
Decaying


used thrice in this poem. It kind of holds weight when you put it like that. The poem is wonderful, top to bottom. I pictured 'Resurrection' looking down on an a dying old man and promising him rebirth. The poem is bittersweet, melancholic and hopeful at the same time. Keep writing more of these, man! :)

Thank you for the review! It always motivates me to continue!

User avatar
Alvarin
Review
Alvarin wrote a review · Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:57 am

I liked the flow in this one, but you should probably try to change the fonts or the way that you've organized the text. Putting the first three parts like this would help:

Spoiler
I visit you in the night during the moon, as I can see you are restless.

Tossing
and
Turning

Because your bones ache.


The poem paints a picture, and has certain feel to it. Sad, but still uplifting. I see an old woman laying in a morgue, and death standing by her side, waiting for her to be buried so that he can bring her back to a new life. Your choice of words makes the poem even better. Can't even remember the last time I heard someone use the word "catafalque".

Great work. Keep writing :)

It does look easier to read that way; in the future, I'll mess around with the font a little more. Great suggestions, and thanks for enjoying it!



HONK
— The Golden Goose