Breathes Death (Revised), Karnak "Longfellow's Excelsior Challenge" in SQ Format Options

[Larry]

Breathes Death

Ra’s bright device, while waning much too fast
to herald an approaching night, has passed
its zenith. Cloaking all the world in ice
while waning much too fast. Ra’s bright device
breathes death.

Catastrophe’s chill tongue… Flame dead beneath
its skin; a cancerous and blackened sheath,
is merely sign the fateful bells have rung.
Flame dead beneath catastrophe’s chill tongue,
breathes death

with stellar groan; proclaims an end to light.
As shadows dance through days once clear and bright,
the distant stars observe. What once had shone
proclaims an end to light with stellar groan;
breathes death.

No one replied as mournful prayers were said
imploring pity. Naught was overhead
but Stygian abyss; mouth gaping wide
as mournful prayers were said. No one replied!
Breathes Death,

“Hear now that solar sigh. Entropy’s rest
has stolen time!” No succor from the breast
which gave you life. All sightless stars must eye
entropy’s rest. “Hear now! That solar sigh
breathes death.”

Among the heaven’s height, a tiny branch
means nothing. A galactic avalanche
renews itself within black void each night.
A tiny branch among the heaven’s height
breathes death.

Hot air, wind from the stars, speeds heavenward.
Zeta-Reticuli, no Saint... Bernard
propels itself to meet Sol’s final prayer.
Wind from the stars speeds heavenward. Hot air
breathes death.

Ra’s bright device, like Isis’ faithful hound
emerging from its underworld, was found
to mark the solstice’s warmth. Shining like ice,
like Isis’ faithful hound, Ra’s bright device
breathes death.

Once molten star, Sol turned a sullen gray
and sightless orb toward a place where lay
its children’s frozen ashes. From afar,
Sol turned a sullen gray. Once molten star
breathes death.

Larry D. Jennings

[Larry]

Hi Steve & Leo,

Steve, thanks for your kind comments. Glad you liked it.

Leo, I got the Zeta-Reticuli/Bernard's Star comparison without making anything up. According to NightSky.ie, an educational website http://www.nightsky.ie/education/6-closest.../bernards-star/ from which I quote:

Bernard’s Star

Bernard’s Star, also know under the name Zeta-Reticuli, is a binary star system 5.97 light-years from the Sol System. It is the second closest star system to earth, after the triple star system of Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri’s A & B. It is actually heading towards us, so at some point in the future it might be the closest. It can be found in the northernmost part of Constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder. Both stars in the Bernard system are yellow stars and are visible only in the Southern Hemisphere.

Yeah, I know there is nothing saintly about a Red Dwarf star or the person discovering it but let me take some poetic license/liberties. E. E. Bernard could have been named after the Saint of the same name and besides, it was tough enough getting it into SQ format.

Part of your information you shared comes from the UFOlogy theory that the "greys", who abduct humans for expermentation, come from that star system.

The Gray Zeta Zeta Reticuli just Reticulan near Barnard's Star, a star system near Orion. They are very small (between 1 m and 1.20 m) of silver-gray body and contains no digestive or genital. They are created from a process of genetic cloning of alien design. They are an ancient breed and breed for thousands of years. They have an easy ability to express very limited, have large eyes, a very small feature to their mouths and no nose to speak of. Their eyes are large, black and almond shaped. Their development has exceeded the process of sexual reproduction and therefore have no sexual organs and digestive system completely atrophied. There are no longer able to eat or engage in sexual activity, and is actually closer to the family of insects.

This has nothing to do with the source from which I got my inspiration for the poem. Perhaps when viewing my source of information, you might concur with my inference in this respect. Other than that, how was the poem?

Larry