June 3, 2016

A Poem by Patsy Barbara Rahn: "The Ten Teeth of Death."

Patsy Barbara Rahn is a poet and prose writer. Her work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. She has read her work in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Bloomington, Indiana. She is a founding member and chairperson emerita of the Writers Guild at Bloomington.




The Ten Teeth of Death

The skull sits upright in the field of grass
its smooth cap shining warm in the afternoon sun
ten teeth rest in its gaping mouth
five above and five below,
almost enough to chew a meal with.
one tooth one, sings the song: te te te te te te te te te te
a song to love and the touch of flesh
two tooth two, sings the song: pah pah pah pah pah pah pah pah pah
a song to pain, its enduring and healing
three tooth three, sings the song: sah sah sah sah sah sah sah sah
a song to regret, the loss and the sadness
four tooth four, sings the song: rrrr,rrrrr,rrrrr, rrrrr, rrrrr, rrrrr, rrrrrr, rrrr
a song to gentle happiness and contentment
five tooth five, sings the song: yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip
a song to riotous energy and ecstatic joy
six tooth six, sings the song: ka ka ka ka ka ka ka ka
a song to human cruelty that has never changed
seven tooth seven, sings the song: whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
a song to hope and transformation
eight tooth eight, sings the song: lop lop lop lop lop lop lop lop
a song to food and nourishment
nine tooth nine, sings the song: mo mo mo mo mo mo mo mo
a song of communication and understanding
ten tooth ten, sings the song: ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni
a song of letting go


~Patsy Barbara Rahn 




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