Leon Quinn’s Blog

“Because I Could Not Stop For Death”

Because I could not stop for death-
He kindly stopped for me-
The carriage held but just ourselves-
And immortality.We slowly drove-He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labour and my leisure too,
For his civility-We passed the school, where children strove
At recess-in the ring-
We passed the fields of gazing grain-
We passed the setting sun-Or rather-he passed us-
The dews drew quivering and chill-
For only gossamer, my gown-
My tippet-only tulle-

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground-
The roof was scarcely visible-
The cornice-in the ground-

Since then- tis centuries-and yet
Feels shorter than a day
I first surmised the horses heads
Were toward eternity-.