Swallowing Death

Swallowing Death

Henrietta DuCamp

The lamb lay, remains enriching the ground.
Its stewards slink away in its skin,
Having bitten the one thing forbidden.
Now even the soil thirsts for blood.

 Leaves fall as their cells fail, forming
A floor covering for the now-naked forest.
Creatures sneeze at the scent for a season
Until the freezing forces insects to cease their feasting.

Thawing to growth after death, under the earth
Something rises from rhizomes.
Tendrils strangle dead things in a life-grip,
Raiding the tomb around them until nothing remains.

The moon shines white on the bones.
Shadows stalk the silent saprophytes,
Recycling remnants towards renewal,
Swallowing death under the stars.

---

Henrietta DuCap
Poet

Henrietta DuCap earned her B.A. in Creative Writing from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where her poetry appeared in the literary journal The Makeshift Review. She also studied Children's Literature during a term overseas at New College, University of Oxford.

Photography by Lina Verovaya