The Mortal Limit
Inspired by "Mortal Limit" by Robert Penn Warren
How far and how vast is the sky
that stretches over head like blown glass
that shimmers with shadows and shapes
like the ripples in an indefinite ocean
How deep and how perilous is the mountain root
which pierces through the earth like some spear
that is shoved into a vermilion forge with care
that glows bright like a ripe lemon
about to burst from the pressure
How cold and how burning are the desert sands
that hiss and spit like some venomous snake
with sparkling, coiled quartz scales
that twinkle and fall over curves like stars
with nothing but a indiscernible pull to guide them
How brief and how terrifying is the mortal limit
that which we cannot deny or change
for even the altering sky is caught in a wheel
and the steadfast mountain root is worn away by the clock
and the desert sands are lifted from grounding chains
So when the mortal limit comes
do not fear its sudden descent
for even the matriarch of time
cannot break such restraints
About the Creator
Amanda Starks
Fantasy writer, poet, and hopefully soon-to-be novelist who wants to create safe spaces to talk about mental health. Subscribe to my free newsletter at www.amandastarks.com for updates!
RE:SURGENCE now available for download!
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More stories from Amanda Starks and writers in Poets and other communities.
I Summon Thee, Death
A girl stands on the edge of a cliff, contemplating the long drop down to the valley floor. Beneath her, giant crumbling boulders rest with cloaks of old, stale snow upon their backs. To the girl, they look like a group of people huddling for warmth in the middle of a snowstorm. Why would they do that? The girl wonders. Why would they sit there and wait to die?
By Amanda StarksExclusive • 3 months ago
Comments (2)
Amanda, you know you're a great writer and poet, right? Just want to remind you of that fact, as I try to form words and sentences to describe the experience I had reading this beautiful, underappreciated gem. So much really just deep and impossibly spot-on but unique imagery. Love your word choices, the flow, the command and power in your voice throughout it. I could see it all easily and was stirred to contemplate life. Thank you for sharing this as one of your submissions for the book, I fear if you hadn't I wouldn't have got a chance to read it. Thank you for taking part. I am working through yours now and will add a comment to the comment section of the piece I choose, once I know which it is, so you know and soon there will be an update published to Vocal about the anthology. Thanks again!
Ohhhh, my goodness. The power in the speaker's voice is phenomenal. I'm addicted to reading this one, omg. "How cold and how burning are the desert sands that hiss and spit like some venomous snake with sparkling, coiled quartz scales that twinkle and fall over curves like stars with nothing but a indiscernible pull to guide them" How great is that image? "Sparkling, coiled quartz scales" -- sand as a snake. Now that is a new one for me, and I am in love with that comparison. This poem is amazing. "Mortal limit" -- the limit of the material. Definitely something that's been on the mind recently...very interesting to think about.