Loss
The serene silence of death,
the strength left behind,
a life now contained in frail memories.
Night falls like a veil of grief,
the moon shines to guide the dead and comfort the living.
Grey as the souls lost long ago,
and the stones their flesh call home.
It all happened at dusk, when orange filled the sky,
and gone was the metallic taste of blood;
death had claimed him long before,
the scarlet poison dribbled from his mouth.
A silent cry of misery and desperation
broke the air like a lonely, howling wolf.
The unconditional love of a mother,
the eternal youth of her soul,
so pure it could not be contained.
He made no sound when he met the ground,
light as a feather he faced his destiny
as part of a divine plan.
But what is divine other than human making,
something above, merciful and kind,
that does nothing but observe?
Truth is, humans are alone,
no one is spared.
Death is the only truth.
She rushed to him but found no relief
in the empty shell she held to her heart.
She sat clutching her own making,
weighed down by the hefty cost of life.
Offering what was left of her own sanity to whatever was above.
Never aware of it, but always waylaying.
Hopelessly, as her son was sailing through the painful river,
eternity only cost him an obol.
Pain filled her heart and dried her throat,
rage tinted her vision red and her world
exploded at the lack of mercy from beyond.
She turned her head and saw the blue figure staring,
sharing the same hopeless feeling of a future
slipping through their fingers.
Was that her conciousness?
Her son?
Was that Death itself?
She straightened her back,
leaving her mind blank.
All that was left on earth
was the serene silence of Death.
Editors for Loss not yet setup.
Resonance is the first collection of creative writing digitally published by Ta Voix, and will hopefully be the first of many. Everything within these digital bindings has been lovingly created by young writers, and meticulously edited and produced by young publishers. We are not yet professionals, but we deserve the chance to be.
Not only will this collection of poetry and prose resonate with you, but the anthology will be resounding. We loudly, and clearly proclaim that the literary industry needs to diversify, it needs transparency, and it needs change.
Trigger warnings: mentions of blood, physical violence and self-harm are present on some pages. Please read at your discretion.
First published by Ta Voix 2020
Copyright retained by the individual authors. Ta Voix has been granted the non-exclusive right to exhibit these works. No part of this anthology may be reproduced without prior written permission of the individual copyright owners, except for the use of cited quotation.