A Poet Died – For Speakeasy

There is no warning rattle at the door
Emotions grow from seeds adrift
Inside the wind or on a cloud
Unannounced love is born.

There is no warning rattle at the door
One day a child becomes a woman
The years like a river flows
Unannounced childhood retreats.

There is no warning rattle at the door
Babies suddenly are full-grown
They leave the nest and form their own
Unannounced life moves on.

There is no warning rattle at the door
Grey hairs grow more than black
Little pains deny sleep at night
Unannounced old age comes.

There is no warning rattle at the door
The bell tolls in the city plaza
A poet died – people mourn
Unannounced the reaper comes.

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Written for Speakeasy # 164

In memory of Maya Angelou, a poet.