full

“Because I Could Not Wait For Death” by Ritter

Today we present a poem by Ritter, who is a musical husky with a passion for literature. You can find more of his stories, including the full Loom of Hours cycle, on AO3.

Read for you by Rob MacWolf — werewolf hitchhiker.

thevoice.dog | Apple podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

If you have a story you think would be a good fit, you can check out the requirements, fill out the submission template and get in touch with us.

https://thevoice.dog/episode/because-i-could-not-wait-for-death-a-poem-by-ritter

Transcript
Speaker:

You’re

Speaker:

listening

Speaker:

to

Speaker:

Poetry

Speaker:

Month

Speaker:

on

Speaker:

The

Speaker:

Voice

Speaker:

of Dog. This is

Speaker:

Rob MacWolf your

Speaker:

fellow traveler, and

Speaker:

Today

Speaker:

we

Speaker:

present a

Speaker:

poem

Speaker:

by

Speaker:

Ritter,

Speaker:

who is

Speaker:

a

Speaker:

musical

Speaker:

husky

Speaker:

with

Speaker:

a

Speaker:

passion

Speaker:

for

Speaker:

literature.

Speaker:

You can

Speaker:

find

Speaker:

more

Speaker:

of

Speaker:

his

Speaker:

stories,

Speaker:

including

Speaker:

the

Speaker:

full

Speaker:

Loom

Speaker:

of

Speaker:

Hours

Speaker:

cycle,

Speaker:

on

Speaker:

AO3.

Please

Speaker:

enjoy


“Because

Speaker:

I

Speaker:

Could

Speaker:

Not

Speaker:

Wait

Speaker:

For

Speaker:

Death”,

Speaker:

a

Speaker:

poem

Speaker:

by

Speaker:

Ritter

I

Speaker:

met

Speaker:

a ‘yote

Speaker:

on

Speaker:

the

Speaker:

moon
So

Speaker:

far

Speaker:

away

Speaker:

from

Speaker:

Earth.
His

Speaker:

tail

Speaker:

was

Speaker:

bent;

Speaker:

his

Speaker:

fur,

Speaker:

unkempt,
And

Speaker:

pelt

Speaker:

as

Speaker:

brown

Speaker:

as

Speaker:

dirt.

“Why mister,

Speaker:

what's

Speaker:

your

Speaker:

business

Speaker:

here?"
The

Speaker:

canid

Speaker:

said

Speaker:

to

Speaker:

me.
“A

Speaker:

mask

Speaker:

as

Speaker:

glum

Speaker:

as

Speaker:

your

Speaker:

facade
Bespeaks

Speaker:

some

Speaker:

tragedy.”

“Take

Speaker:

heart,

Speaker:

like

me:

me:

I'm

me:

God's

me:

free

me:

dog
I

me:

venture,

me:

to

me:

a

me:

fault,
To

me:

spaces

me:

weird

me:

and

me:

places

me:

feared
Whence

me:

lesser

me:

souls

me:

would

me:

bolt.”

“Good

me:

soul,”

me:

said

me:

I, “You

me:

speak

me:

to

me:

me
As

me:

would

me:

a

me:

friend

me:

to friend.
I'll tell you then: I seek new ways
To bring 'bout one's

me:

own

me:

end.”

“I

me:

eschew

me:

blade,

me:

rope,

me:

and

me:

stockade;
Exsanguination's

me:

crude.
No

me:

necktie

me:

would

me:

I

me:

dare

employ:


Asphyxiation?

employ:

Lewd.”

“Instead

employ:

I

employ:

seek

employ:

to

employ:

launch

employ:

myself
Into

employ:

a

employ:

solar

employ:

flare;
Be

employ:

jiggled

employ:

into

employ:

giblet

employ:

soup
By

employ:

infrasonic

employ:

blare.”

"And

employ:

would

employ:

that

employ:

I

employ:

could

employ:

set

employ:

a

employ:

foot
On

employ:

Pluto's

employ:

brother

employ:

moon.
To

employ:

see

employ:

the

employ:

sights?

employ:

Heck,

employ:

no!

employ:

My

employ:

plan's
To

employ:

freeze

employ:

at

employ:

highest

employ:

noon.”

“That's

employ:

swell,”

employ:

the 'yote

employ:

told

employ:

me true,
“I'm

employ:

glad

employ:

you

employ:

have

employ:

your

employ:

goals.
But

employ:

have

employ:

you

employ:

thought

employ:

of

employ:

stuff

employ:

that

employ:

won't
Forfeit

employ:

your

employ:

life

employ:

and

employ:

soul?”

“Oh,

employ:

hush,”

employ:

said

employ:

I, “The

employ:

soul's a

employ:

thing
You

employ:

can't make me

employ:

believe.
My life's a

employ:

Russian

employ:

novel;
I

employ:

just

employ:

want

employ:

a

employ:

short

employ:

reprieve.”

“A

employ:

short

employ:

reprieve

employ:

is

employ:

all

employ:

you

employ:

want?
Come

employ:

fly

employ:

with

employ:

me

employ:

instead!
And

employ:

in

employ:

a

employ:

week

employ:

I’ll

employ:

bet

employ:

that

employ:

you
Won’t

employ:

want

employ:

to

employ:

end

employ:

up

employ:

dead.”

And then

employ:

the

employ:

magic

employ:

doggo

employ:

gave

employ:

me
Magic

employ:

stones

employ:

to

employ:

chew
I

employ:

gulped

employ:

them

employ:

down

employ:

until

employ:

they

employ:

were
Digested

employ:

through

employ:

and

employ:

through.

Without

employ:

a word–

employ:

ka-zoom! Ka-plam!
We

employ:

skipped through

employ:

space

employ:

and

employ:

time
To

employ:

view

employ:

the

employ:

planet

employ:

Jupiter,
Its

employ:

waistline

employ:

ringed

employ:

with

employ:

grime.

“Behold!”

employ:

he

employ:

said. “The

employ:

Great

employ:

Red

employ:

Spot!”
But

employ:

List’ner,

employ:

I

employ:

confess,
My

employ:

wish

employ:

to

employ:

dive

employ:

within

employ:

the

employ:

gale
Was

employ:

all

employ:

I

employ:

could

employ:

address.

“Let’s

employ:

try

employ:

a

employ:

thing,”

employ:

said

employ:

he,

employ:

and

employ:

we
Jumped

employ:

minutes-light

employ:

away
To

employ:

Mars’

employ:

fabled

employ:

mountain

employ:

range
(We

employ:

crossed

employ:

it

employ:

in

employ:

a day).

“Olympus

employ:

Mons!

employ:

And Tharsis!

employ:

These
The seats

employ:

are

employ:

of

employ:

the

employ:

gods.”
Their

employ:

splendor

employ:

drove

employ:

me

employ:

giddy,

employ:

and
My

employ:

tum

employ:

tied

employ:

up

employ:

in knots.

Or

employ:

maybe ‘twas

employ:

the

employ:

mountain

employ:

air?
But ‘yote

employ:

whisked me off
Before

employ:

my

employ:

brain

employ:

could

employ:

frame

employ:

it

employ:

as
A

employ:

thing

employ:

at

employ:

which

employ:

to

employ:

scoff.

We

employ:

next

employ:

went

employ:

to

employ:

Europa,

employ:

where
No

employ:

landing

employ:

we’d

employ:

attempt;
Observed

employ:

the

employ:

moon’s

employ:

biota
Through

employ:

an

employ:

optic

employ:

filament.

“How

employ:

marvelous

employ:

that

employ:

life

employ:

shall

employ:

find
A

employ:

way

employ:

to

employ:

live

employ:

and

employ:

thrive!”
The ‘yote

employ:

grinned;

employ:

to

employ:

my

employ:

chagrin
I

employ:

was

employ:

still

employ:

quite

employ:

alive.

But

employ:

living

employ:

had

employ:

been

employ:

lonely,

employ:

rather
Desp’rate

employ:

heretofore;
So

employ:

easy

employ:

to

employ:

surrender

employ:

when
Dread

employ:

knocked

employ:

upon

employ:

my

employ:

door.

The

employ:

last

employ:

place

employ:

that

employ:

we

employ:

went

employ:

to was
A

employ:

total

employ:

shock

employ:

to

me:


A

me:

station

me:

in

me:

Earth

me:

orbit, ‘twas

me:

a
Science

me:

colony.

Inside

me:

was

me:

a

me:

community
From

me:

all

me:

around

me:

the

me:

world
United

me:

in

me:

the

me:

aim

me:

to

me:

see
Pure

me:

science

me:

come

me:

unfurled.

“They

me:

fight,

me:

like

me:

you,”

me:

the ‘yote

me:

said,
“But

me:

not

me:

for

me:

death’s embrace:
They

me:

find

me:

new

me:

ways

me:

to

me:

live

me:

across
The

me:

vast

me:

expanse

me:

of

me:

space.”

“So

me:

when

me:

the

me:

Big

me:

One

me:

comes (and

me:

trust

me:


That’s

me:

a

me:

When,

me:

not

me:

If),
The

me:

waking

me:

world

me:

can

me:

be

me:

preserved
Inside

me:

a

me:

space-borne

me:

skiff.”

“But

me:

such

me:

a

me:

microcosm

me:

cannot
Simulate

me:

all

me:

Earth.
Why

me:

live

me:

in

me:

space

me:

while

me:

we

me:

all

me:

die
In

me:

nations

me:

of

me:

our

me:

birth?”

“Because

me:

we

me:

are

me:

idealists,”
(Though

me:

I

me:

already

me:

knew)
“We

me:

care

me:

about

me:

Utopia,

me:

not
Who’s

me:

Green

me:

and

me:

who is

me:

Blue.”

“Utopia

me:

is

me:

a

me:

thankless

me:

job;
You’ll

me:

feel

me:

you’re

me:

doing

me:

naught
While

me:

Capital

me:

will

me:

steal

me:

your

me:

work
And

me:

sell

me:

it

me:

to

me:

be

me:

bought.”

“But

me:

here

me:

you’ll

me:

find

me:

community
And

me:

people

me:

glad

me:

to

me:

serve
The

me:

betterment

me:

of

me:

humankind
With

me:

vigor

me:

and

me:

with

me:

verve.”

And ‘twas

me:

indeed

me:

the

me:

case

me:

that

me:

we
Were

me:

welcomed,

me:

arm

me:

in

me:

arm,
By

me:

siblings,

me:

friends,

me:

and

me:

partners,

me:

who’d
Protect

me:

us

me:

from

me:

all

me:

harm.

We

me:

shared

me:

some

me:

meals

me:

and

me:

stories,

me:

downed
A

me:

boozy

me:

drink

me:

or

me:

two.
They

me:

let

me:

me

me:

watch

me:

experiments,

me:

made

me:

me
Feel

me:

among

me:

the

me:

crew.

And

me:

as

me:

I

me:

saw

me:

their

me:

wonder

me:

and
Excitement

me:

at

me:

their

me:

tests,
I

me:

considered

me:

my

objectives:

objectives:

if
Death

objectives:

was

objectives:

indeed

objectives:

the

objectives:

best?

I’d

objectives:

felt

objectives:

some

objectives:

fleeting

objectives:

pleasure

objectives:

this
Past

objectives:

week

objectives:

as

objectives:

we

objectives:

traversed
Our

objectives:

trivial

objectives:

little

objectives:

corner

objectives:

of
The

objectives:

wider

objectives:

universe.

To

objectives:

marvels

objectives:

and to

objectives:

wonders,

objectives:

I
Admit:

objectives:

I’m

objectives:

too

objectives:

blasé
But

objectives:

friendship’s

objectives:

not

objectives:

a

objectives:

thing

objectives:

that

objectives:

I
Experience

objectives:

every

objectives:

day.

“If

objectives:

not

objectives:

for

objectives:

them,

objectives:

for

objectives:

me

objectives:

then,”

objectives:

said
The ‘yote,

objectives:

twinkly-eyed.
“I’ll

objectives:

gladly

objectives:

trade

objectives:

the

objectives:

cosmos

objectives:

just
To

objectives:

be

objectives:

here

objectives:

at

objectives:

your

objectives:

side.”

“I

objectives:

know

objectives:

of

objectives:

what

objectives:

you’re

objectives:

capable–
You’ve

objectives:

multitudes

objectives:

within;
You’ve

objectives:

come

objectives:

this

objectives:

far

objectives:

and

objectives:

fought

objectives:

so

objectives:

hard
And

objectives:

stuck

objectives:

through

objectives:

thick

objectives:

and

objectives:

thin.”

“Your

objectives:

journey’s

objectives:

just

objectives:

beginning;

objectives:

there’s
Still

objectives:

so

objectives:

much

objectives:

to

objectives:

be

objectives:

done.
And

objectives:

when

objectives:

the

objectives:

work’s

objectives:

completed,

objectives:

why

objectives:

not
Have

objectives:

a

objectives:

bit

objectives:

of

objectives:

fun?”

And

objectives:

so

objectives:

I

objectives:

took

objectives:

the ‘yote’s

objectives:

paw;
I

objectives:

held

objectives:

it

objectives:

to

objectives:

my

objectives:

breast.
I

objectives:

vowed

objectives:

to cleave

objectives:

us,

objectives:

soul

objectives:

to

objectives:

soul
And

objectives:

then,

objectives:

at

objectives:

my

behest:



We

behest:

stepped

behest:

into

behest:

new

behest:

paradigms–
A

behest:

worldview

behest:

shift,

behest:

a

behest:

change

behest:

of

behest:

time
My

behest:

old

behest:

obsession,

behest:

left

behest:

behind
Within

behest:

untroubled

behest:

mind.



This

behest:

was “Because

behest:

I

behest:

Could

behest:

Not

behest:

Wait

behest:

For

behest:

Death”

behest:

by

behest:

Ritter,

behest:

read

behest:

for you

behest:

by

behest:

Rob

behest:

MacWolf,

behest:

Werewolf

behest:

Hitchhiker.

behest:

Thank

behest:

you

behest:

for

behest:

listening

behest:

to

behest:

The

behest:

Voice

behest:

of

behest:

Dog.

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