This mind-child would never have been born had my mentor not asked me, spur of the moment, to write a Halloween-related piece. It began so rough, immature, in the sense that it was young, almost like a real child. With each editing I watched it grow into a more sophisticated and polished piece. I'm proud to have my "child" go out and make its way in the world.
Naming this "child" was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. A phrase I came by in some book or other popped into my mind: Memento mori. The literal translation from Latin is "Remember you are mortal," or "Remember you must die." I feel it to be fitting for a poem pondering death.