The Reaper

Midway upon my life's journey,

I found myself consistently tethered to

A pub now known as the Tabbard


There I met the great attorney

Clothed in Burlap Black

The hands protruding


more than skeletally thin

Here I ordered myself a pint

And asked this one of another kin


“He who has been most disliked,

What brings you here?”

And he stared me in the eyes


“Well that's mean,”

His voice was akin to that of Odin

“Like I’m not exactly everyones favorite but,


I’m a necessary part of life.

If I went on strike,

You’d lose your soul,


Or actually you wouldn’t.”

I sat there,

I didn’t think death would be this relaxed.


And thus I asked him

“Then, what’s it like being Death,

Do you have any neat stories?”


“Oh, plenty.

Like this one time,

There were three flemish men,


And they went

To find some treasure,

First some old lady


Tells them they’ll find me under a tree

Anyway, they find the treasure,

One of them goes into town to get some wine


So that they can celebrate, under some tree,

The other two

Plot to kill him,


Do a little 50/50 split

But the other guys has the same idea

So he poisons the wine


When he approaches the tree they stab him

And then drink the wine

So they found me under the tree.”


“Oh, like the pardoner's tale?”

“Never heard of it.”

So we continued, my suspicion lowered


“Oh and that guy,”

He gestured at the heavily scarred man

To whom I have already spoken


“Man over his 5000 year life

He’s given me quite the headache

I’ve tried to kill him so many times


From smallpox to spears,

I’ve tried it all,

But he’s an immortal,


A unique one albeit,

Being human, not divine

But an immortal nonetheless.”


“He’s a jolly old man

If I’m to be the judge of it.”

I said,


“Oh, and this other time,

There was this guy,

He wrote fiction,


Man I swear he could see me,

He just always seemed so depressed,

In all his things someone dies


Or someother terrible

Thing happens to someone.

Anyway


Enough about others,

Do you want to know when you’ll see me once again?”

He asked,


I sat there pondering,

“If I’m to know,

Can I change it?”