Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
A visitor dropped by at my foyer
Uninvited, ominously, unseen
A black shadow of imminent disaster
Looming large on my cozy haven.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
The door pounded again stanch
I willed it to pass over with uneasy alarm
But alas, incessant it was, and I went blanch
And intuit crumpled with impending doom.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Persistent it was, like stormy wind through trees
At times a roaring rumble at times a soft tread
Zooming past my terror stricken ears
And I waited for its exit, heart echoing in a thud.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
But it lingered, to launch a surprise batter
Shutters were secured and locks sealed
Feigning ignorance I retreated into my antechamber
Staying silently put, not a breath not a sound.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Who was this importunate impudent caller?
Wanting a rendezvous in my abode against my wishes?
Death. Death? Yes it was death. The invisible specter
Stirring soundlessly to snatch a life from under my eyes.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Trying to ward off this intruder seemed in vain
Unwanted, unwelcome, it was, but death
Loitered outside, biding for time with calm serene,
And I held on, with a murky feel in my heart, and bated breath.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Death, I thought, was a visitor in other’s houses
Not mine, but it was there, a wraith certain,
A fact of life with no bypass, even on tiptoes
Yet, I hung on, hoping death would leave, on the double. Had it gone?