Two Poems by Daniel DeLucie

 

Death Lurks Under

Death lurks under shallow ground

Close enough to pull you down

You can't run or jump so high

Such that death will cease to try 

It's nature is to lie in wait

And someday be your ultimate fate

To weigh you down, wither and wane

Or a sudden strike devoid of pain

Death it ever creeps below

Basking in a sinister glow

Bony fingers clutch a scythe

To take a swing and end your life 

On the day set by your lord

Or maybe just when death is bored

Drop the Hammer Down

I like it when the storm clouds form

A torrent falls and cities drown

And when the lightning cracks the sky

It’s time to drop the hammer down

Nothing gained in tranquil seas 

And placid water still and smooth

With gentle breeze and empty air

And bluest skies that never move

When fire rages all around

And verdant lands are burned and brown

When tremors shake and crack the ground

Drop the hammer down

Corridors where no one dares

Or forests dark and nightmare fraught

Forbidden fields and cursed lands

Are destinations to be sought

Nothing gained on trodden paths

With templates worn and recognized

Or sheltered tight in guarded rooms

Or old routines safe and tried

When thunder is the only sound

And hungry wolves creep and surround

When arrows fly and broadswords pound

Drop the hammer down

Daniel DeLucie is a writer, musician, and technologist living in Los Angeles, California.  He played guitar in the heavy metal bands Destiny’s End and Crescent Shield, releasing four albums in the late nineties and two-thousands.  He self-published a heavy metal-themed self-help book called Heavy Metal is my Life Coach in 2021 and has been writing poetry for much of his life because it's fun.