Two Sides of a Parallelogram

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

Both death and love are timeless and they both

Are part of timelessness—eternity,

Inside the universe no older growth

Except for life, but less eternity

Life has, perhaps.  Quite wrong it is to say

That they are separate, not in any sense

That matters, logic closing chance to pray

About them.  The heart of both of them is dense

As cores of black holes melded, maybe more.

Both death and love are poetry, the worst.

They rhyme.  They both refuse to see a shore.

They both create a deep, unending thirst.

  Lear’s love, Cordelia’s, they both transcend

    Because death brings them both an endless end.

~ Phillip Whidden