Immutability

death is defined
by a jumping of the gun
which may suit impatient people
knowing the end
at the beginning

no false starts now
the field played
is permanent green
the race over
and names on the board

the final final finished
immutability is
a constant colour
bronze or gold
it’s all the same

© Richard Scutter 10 September 2008

Footnotes ...

Shelley described life in terms of mutability (he wrote a wonderful poem called Mutability) ... so I took the theme of death the reverse ... however the title to the poem is not death but immutability ... this is important.

The poem written for the Pink Rock Poets September meeting ... the theme Despatch.

The poem written at the time of the Olympics ... maybe I had been watching too much TV.

My philosophy on death is not articulated by this poem.