La Muerte, by Bill Waters

La Muerte, by Lorette C. Luzajic (Canada). 2018. Click image for artist site.

La Muerte

Mariposa, why do you flirt with Death?
You make a good couple, I freely admit it --
he with his yellow bones and steely scythe,
you dressed in yellow and orange and lots of
funereal black. Perpetual Día de Muertos!

But one day he’ll play the death card
on you, you know. Perhaps you should
worry a bit. Reconsider. Meanwhile, enjoy
your denim-and-polka-dot daydreams,
your blushing-pink and acid-green world.

Oh, what the hell! Do the danse macabre --
click your castanets while he rattles his bones!
The shadow of Death hangs over us all anyway.
Besides, even a skeleton has dignity.
Even a dead butterfly is still beautiful.

​Bill Waters

Bill Waters is a well-published writer of short poetry and compressed prose. He also runs the Poetry in Public Places Project, a Facebook / real-world group interested in creating and promoting poetry in public spaces to increase the richness of everyday living. Bill lives in Pennington, New Jersey, U.S.A., with his wonderful wife and their two amazing cats.

See more artworks from Lorette C. Luzajic, editor of The Ekphrastic Review, here.