Death, My Friend - Chosen Poem

Death, My Friend

Death, my friend - so good to see you!
Stand aloft and view my soul!
I have to say you’re looking frightful -
Bony chum, you affable ghoul.

Death, my friend, so charmed I’m sure!
State your case and tell me straight -
Am I worthy of reward, so
Venture I to Heaven’s Gate?

Death, my friend, a new acquaintance!
You're always welcome in my home -
Though the stare from empty sockets
Indicates to Hell we roam!

Death, my friend - my bosom buddy.
My! your finger points at me!
Be you tired of my frivolity?
Aha, I see - Oblivion, we!

The metaphor in this poem is that death is an old friend. The tone of the poem is quite happy even though it’s about quite a sad subject. Death is being personified as an old friend, somebody that you haven’t seen in a while but you know quite well. By personifying death, it makes the idea of death not so bad. It also allows you to accept your death, so why not make it a happy ending instead of a sad one. We all know about death from quite a young age. This metaphor is actually quite a nice way of telling a child that one of their loved ones has died.

This metaphor has been used many many times in pop culture. One of the biggest examples I can think of is in the Harry Potter series. In the Deathly Hollows, the Tale of Three Brothers talks about three brothers who outsmart Death and so Death rewards them. The elder brother asks for the most powerful wand, the middle brother asked for a resurrection stone, and the youngest asked for an invisibility cloak. While the two older brothers tried to outsmart Death, their lives were taken by Death. But, the youngest brother was able to hide under the cloak and live his life, and then finally when he was ready, he greeted Death as a friend and left peacefully.