Poem-a-day - April 18

Today's Prompt: Write a poem "To ______"

To the Grim Reaper

All of us walking towards the sunset --

the grim reaper lounging by the side of the road

smoking a cigarette, watching us go by,

pretending not to see him.

He's invisible as air, always in the shadows,

frightening us. Whispering threats

when we can't sleep, think we might have a mole

that's odd, a heartbeat that's irregular, a pain

in our gut, a lump in our breast.

We know he's there, but we don't believe it.

We're mostly surprised at his quick strikes

at who he chooses and when and why --

There's never a satisfactory answer.

We keep walking our death-defying path

holding our breath, one foot in front of the other

passing every year the date of our death

without knowing it.