• Facebook
  • BlueSky
  • Instagram
  • GoFundMe
  • Threads
  • Mastodon
roostlogohead2cropped-transp-blue-owlS.pngroostlogohead2roostlogohead2
  • Home
  • All Magazine Issues
  • About
    • Vision and Mission
    • Meet the MockingOwls
      • Leadership Team
      • Editorial & Writing Team
      • Design & Web Team
      • Performing Arts & Tabletop RPG Team
    • Our Contributors
    • Keep the MockingOwls Roosting!
    • MockingOwl Roost Staff Services
    • Contact
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Blog
    • Artist Profiles
    • Best Of
      • Gaming Corner
      • Round Ups
    • Film and Theatre
      • The Acting Side
    • Inspiration for All
      • Positivity Corner
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Music
      • Music Performance
      • Music Reviews
    • Reviews
      • Book Reviews – Fiction
      • Book Reviews – Nonfiction
      • Film Reviews
      • Tea Reviews
    • Resources
      • NaNoWriMo
      • Writing Prompts
      • Books for Writers
    • Series
      • Travel
        • Literary Travel
      • Fitness for Creatives
      • My Favorite Things
      • Writing Memories
      • Things I Wish I’d Said
  • MockingOwl Roost Workshops
  • Resources for Creatives
    • Presses Taking Unsolicited Submissions – No Agent Necessary
            No results See all results
            ✕
                      No results See all results

                      Death Ward

                      Published by Sue Cook at February 5, 2021
                      Categories
                      • Poetry
                      Tags
                      • death
                      • life
                      • poetess
                      • poetry
                      • survival
                      Muted teddy bear in bandages - Death Ward

                      Image by congerdesign on Pixabay

                      Rolling down a corridor
                      Tiny hand to wheel
                      Small squares on the floor pass my heels
                      How pretty!
                      Ready to play
                      My doll tucked beside me, as we roll silently along.
                      I am humming.
                      The sound of the Earth, and planets dance in my head.
                      Humming to the soft beat of my revised heart.

                      Black flap on the door window.
                      My friend has gone to play dolls with Jesus
                      Why the tears?

                      Older now, I realize
                      That I was nestled in the bosom of the “Death Ward.”
                      My wheels were to have stopped
                      No more humming to the revised heart.
                      I too was to go “play dolls with Jesus.”

                      I wonder…
                      Would I have taken my doll?
                      Hummed him my song?
                      Would I have heard the tears amongst the playful laughter?


                      Looking for more poetry? The MockingOwl Roost has plenty, from authors around the world.

                      • Birth of a Dream
                      • Be Still
                      • Pearls of Dissent
                      • Helpline
                      Sue Cook
                      + postsBio

                      Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.

                      • Sue Cook
                        https://www.mockingowlroost.com/blog/author/suecook/
                        I Said Nothing
                      • Sue Cook
                        https://www.mockingowlroost.com/blog/author/suecook/
                        Death Dance
                      • Sue Cook
                        https://www.mockingowlroost.com/blog/author/suecook/
                        The Flying Dutchman
                      • Sue Cook
                        https://www.mockingowlroost.com/blog/author/suecook/
                        Nyx

                      Related posts

                      A square image with a stylized, patriotic, and commemorative aesthetic, designed for a piece of poetry. The main feature is a black and white illustration of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, centered against a light blue sky with stylized Japanese wave clouds (blue and white) and sparkling stars. An American flag flies from the memorial structure. Below the memorial is a large, solid red umbrella shape, and the entire scene is set on a background of light blue, white, and red. A black and white owl logo is positioned in the lower right corner. Pearl Harbor Day Text: Paula Frew, WE REMEMBER, POETRY

                      Image created on Canva

                      December 7, 2025

                      We Remember


                      Read more
                      A square image with a somber, historical, and patriotic aesthetic, structured as a modern collage. The background is white with a subtle, stylized, repeating pattern. A large dark blue diagonal banner on the left contains the main title and author name. The right side features two circular photographs: the upper circle is a black and white image of a warship (likely the USS Arizona) engulfed in thick smoke and fire. The lower circle is a color photograph of the clean, white structure of the Pearl Harbor Memorial floating over the water, with the American flag flying. The overall design contrasts the destruction of the past with the remembrance of the present. A small black and white owl logo is visible on the right side. voids Text: THE RAID ON PEARL HARBOR, Mary Derringer, Poetry

                      Image created on Canva

                      December 7, 2025

                      The Raid on Pearl Harbor


                      Read more
                      A square image with a soft, rustic, and heartwarming Christmas aesthetic, designed for a poetry piece. The central photograph is a close-up of a Christmas tree branch with a blurred background of warm, twinkling lights. Hanging prominently on the branch is a handmade heart-shaped ornament made of woven white wicker/straw, featuring a small wooden heart and lace detail. The image has a decorative border of red and dark green at the top and bottom. A white and brown owl logo is positioned in the lower left corner. send love Text: Tim McMahon, Send Love for Christmas, Poetry

                      Image created on Canva

                      December 4, 2025

                      Send Love for Christmas 


                      Read more

                      10 Comments

                      1. Women: Inspired - The MockingOwl Roost says:
                        April 28, 2021 at 7:29 pm

                        […] of my favorite quotes was made by Betsie, “There is no pit so deep, that He is not deeper […]

                        Reply
                      2. NaNoWriMo Day 2: What I Love About the Genre I Write says:
                        November 2, 2021 at 5:13 am

                        […] It followed in the footsteps of the Dr. Seuss genre. Then came the MockingOwl Roost when I had a poem published in a literary magazine. It was like a […]

                        Reply
                      3. Special Announcement: Artist-in-Residence Named by MockingOwl Roost says:
                        July 1, 2022 at 1:12 pm

                        […] many other works, our new artist-in-residence, Sue Cook, has shared a poem: Death Ward, about her time at Children’s Memorial; the Doctors gave little hope, Sue had other […]

                        Reply
                      4. It Was Supposed to Be About Being Well-Loved says:
                        February 15, 2023 at 5:18 pm

                        […] my precious Daddy was dying, God showed me another gifting. Although it was a bittersweet revelation, I realized the gift of […]

                        Reply
                      5. Special Announcement: Artist-in-Residence for MockingOwl Roost says:
                        June 11, 2023 at 12:51 pm

                        […] many other works, our new artist-in-residence, Sue Cook, has shared a poem: Death Ward, about her time at Children’s Memorial; the Doctors gave little hope, Sue had other […]

                        Reply
                      6. The Roosters and the Winchester Family says:
                        October 20, 2023 at 2:01 am

                        […] Death Ward […]

                        Reply
                      7. Poetry Special #1 - 2024 - the MockingOwl Roost says:
                        April 18, 2024 at 2:16 pm

                        […] Death Ward […]

                        Reply
                      8. Scent: Poetry says:
                        June 12, 2024 at 2:01 pm

                        […] Death Ward […]

                        Reply
                      9. Soft Whispers in the Wind, a Poem says:
                        March 22, 2025 at 1:47 am

                        […] Death Ward – Poetry […]

                        Reply
                      10. Transformation Through Faith and Mystery says:
                        September 17, 2025 at 6:28 pm

                        […] Death Ward — Poetry […]

                        Reply

                      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

                      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

                      "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

                      Toni Morrison

                      Archives

                      • December 2025
                      • November 2025
                      • October 2025
                      • September 2025
                      • August 2025
                      • July 2025
                      • June 2025
                      • May 2025
                      • April 2025
                      • March 2025
                      • February 2025
                      • January 2025
                      • December 2024
                      • November 2024
                      • October 2024
                      • September 2024
                      • August 2024
                      • July 2024
                      • June 2024
                      • May 2024
                      • April 2024
                      • March 2024
                      • February 2024
                      • January 2024
                      • December 2023
                      • November 2023
                      • October 2023
                      • September 2023
                      • August 2023
                      • July 2023
                      • June 2023
                      • May 2023
                      • April 2023
                      • March 2023
                      • February 2023
                      • January 2023
                      • December 2022
                      • November 2022
                      • October 2022
                      • September 2022
                      • August 2022
                      • July 2022
                      • June 2022
                      • May 2022
                      • April 2022
                      • March 2022
                      • February 2022
                      • January 2022
                      • December 2021
                      • November 2021
                      • October 2021
                      • September 2021
                      • August 2021
                      • July 2021
                      • June 2021
                      • May 2021
                      • April 2021
                      • March 2021
                      • February 2021
                      • January 2021

                      Newsletter Signup Form

                      Newsletter Signup Form
                      © 2021 The MockingOwl Roost.

                      All Rights Reserved