Samantha Wilson
László Mednyánszky, Old Man’s Death, 1890
Oh, the Old Man’s Death!
His life had been long, but the end was a fight.
His body weak, his spirit strong.
His words at lost, his eyes full of sorrow.
His life becomes a memory as he sinks into the bed.
A single candlelight of hope,
Lighting up the show behind the curtains.
Where do we go when the time comes?
Across the sea, under sunset, or into the darkness with our fears?
The cloak of darkness, creeping in the shadows
A silent comfort, a thief who whispers of the end.
Gazing upon those he claims his own.
Holding your fate between the curtains.
Is he a friend or an enemy?
A guide to the unknown,
to the next adventure,
Where fear and sorrow fade
Where peace is embraced.
He will know the right passage.
He looks onto all of us.
Coming with no mercy and no bargaining.
Let go of your worries and fear.
Accept his embrace.
We must all go and find that final place.
Under the sunset or behind the darkness.
Oh, the Old Man’s Death!
I didn’t try to emulate a certain poem or poet, but I think that there are certain points in the poem that I emulated some of the poems we have read for the class. For example, when I added the question at the end of some of the verses. When I first saw this painting all I could see was death but as I looked at it more, I noticed that patch of sunlight that was behind the curtain. For me I was trying to elaborate on the subject matter and explain the art by talking about death and afterlife by paying attention to the reaper, old man, the candlelight, and the setting. I focused more on the art than on the artist. I did do some research about the artist but when I wrote the poem it was based on the artwork not who the artist was. I broke the verses up where I did because it seems to flow better, and I broke up the lines like I did because I felt like it brought more meaning to the message. Like to break the lines let go of your worries and fear/ accept his embrace. It felt more dramatic and powerful than if it was one sentence. There were key words I wanted to use such as the title of the poem, “cloak of darkness”, and “behind the curtains” because it related to the artwork. But some of my other word choices were made to bring a certain feeling and affect to the painting/poem.