The Old Man

The old man begins to pray,
Because he knows death is on his way.

The cloaked demon with scythe in hand,
Is ready to take his soul to another land.

What crimes have I made,
That have brought you here with your unforgiving blade?

Eighty years since that date,
When the heavens above decided your fate,
And now that your hourglass has run dry,
The sun sets in its lonely sky.

Credit for the image goes to Joseph Wright of Derby, The Old Man and Death, 1773. Oil on canvas. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund.