Angel of Death

I know your name well, Azarel.

Angel of Death, our doom you spell.

Your wings are full of many eyes,

Taken from men who no more may cry.

We have tried for many a day gone by,

To ward you off, so we don't die.

Giving alms and saying prayers,

So our souls your sickle spares.

"The harvest is full and laborers few,"

The Good Lord has said unto you.

"Prepare the way of the day,

When human souls are snatched away."

There is a Tree in Paradise grows,

A leaf for every soul it knows.

Yet when a leaf comes falling down,

Man will lose his earthly crown.

Some leaves they fall before their time,

Before the last toll of their chime.

Why do they choose to depart?

Rather than wait for you to take their heart?

When misery consumes their desire,

Can anything be said to turn that dial?

Or are we set on chaotic paths,

That we can't stop or surpass?

Are we doomed to wills of fate?

Some go early to heaven's gate?

Leaving sorrow here below,

Asking why they had to go?

Azarel, I am unafraid of you,

For I know the job you do.

Yet do not tempt man before his time,

To go and commit such a crime.

Not crime in earthly sense of law,

But crime in that it leaves me raw.

We wish to save those who drown,

In darkness shadows all around.

Shed light on us mortals here,

Please, dear father, wipe our tears.

Dispel the darkness with the night,

And wake us renewed with morning's light.

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Many believe Azarel is one of the most ancient Sumerian-Hebrew names. His name means "Angel of God," or "Help from God." This might seems strange given his duty of harvesting souls. However, some scholars believe his name is derived from what people would cry out when death came knocking.

I remember his appearance in the book of Exodus when the Egyptians were struck by his early arrival. Every boy in Egypt died, according to the story. The Israelites were spared because of the sacrificial blood on their doorposts.

This story is still so symbolic to people today, whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. To me, he represents a haunting presence. My deepest fears are his temptations. Showing how meaningless life might be for some and tempting them to go to an early grave.

I have a Jungian side to myself where I see existential threats in a body form. It helps me understand what these horrifying images must have meant to people so long ago and how they continue to haunt us to this day.

https://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/inside/goldhaggadahstories/passover/thepassover.html#:~:text=That%20night%2C%20God%20sent%20the,the%20houses%20of%20the%20Israelites.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Azrael

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1asUCSbbsI

Thank you so so much for reading! I know this was a sadder one, but it needed to be put to paper Lots of love always.