The Intimate Death
In Lloyd Chandler's folk song “conversations with death" later made popular by various artists and most popular by blue grass recording artist Ralph Stanley, death is once again given depiction entitatively as a spiritual being born of Appalachian bible belt southern folklore. “ I’ll fix your feet till you can’t walk” says death to its unfortunate victim in the song. I’ve heard it said of the old timers how people talked about their legs going cold giving them indication that they were were dying. This feeling of icy cold associated with the touch of a spirit whose one purpose in existence is to rend spirit from flesh, knowing no barter other than the coin passed or prayer spoken for mercy in itself becomes the spirit if mercy in distant whispers that quiet pain with cold numbness. This spirit calls the soul away locking bone and muscle in place like a door forced closed till there is nowhere to go but out. These days, however, outside of sudden tragedy, we die differently, f
Comments
Post a Comment