Once you've tasted death

There's this thing

Its creeping up behind me

Its all but flesh

Its bone and sinew

And its ragged clothes smell of dirt and dust

I turn and see it

As I hear the creaking of its joints

Filled with the dust of ages past

I back away

And stumble

And fall

And as my eyes are graced by a view of all that is above

Its as if the clouds themselves

Begin to weep for me

I crawl backward

Away away

From this thing coming near

And I cry out

What do you want from me

It stops

Mid reaching

And I can see a smile

Somehow on its skull

It says with a dusty voice

You know what I am

You beckoned me closer

When that blade slid across your wrist

You wished for me that day

And now I come and you fear me

Think to yourself

Why fear what you want

I rise to my feet

Shaking

Shaking

Lightning strikes behind it

And I see its scythe

And its crooked smile

How can it smile

It reaches for me again and places its hand on my chest

I feel the world fading away

But I break loose and step away

As rain falls I scream

NO

I thought I wanted to die

But I'm just not ready

You wont take me

It pulls its hand back

And smiles again as the rain washes the dust away

You might not be ready to die now

But know this

Once you’ve tasted death you can never go back

And the essence of me is there upon your wrist

And when you brought it up to kiss

To heal

That old superstition you have

When it anointed your lips you tasted me

And I will not leave you

I will be two steps behind

Waiting for you to fall again

I say again

Know this

Your death comes sooner than you expect

But latter than you wanted

I am coming for you

And nothing can save you

I will take you from this world

And only your decisions will decide where you go from here

As it spoke I turned

To run

But there it was

Right in front of me

I turned again

And felt it lean toward my ear

See you in just a few years

It spoke

I spun round and saw it fade against the rain

Laughing

As the rain fell

I stood

Hearing the laughter

I was chilled to the core

I dropped to my knees

And looked

At this brand upon my wrist

I know its fading

But it will never go

But as I'm looking

It opens and I see fangs within it

It screams

And screams

Don’t forget me

As blood drips like drool from the fangs

It says don’t forget

That desire to die

Its still inside you buried

Hidden by medicine

And by happiness

IT lies deep inside

I lie deep inside

I snap awake

I'm in my bed

At a place where I feel safe

Sweat drips from my brow

And I look to my wrist

That brand that sits upon it

And a single tear falls

And I hear it again

Its buried deep inside

And

Remember

Once you’ve tasted death there's no going back