The Real Sting
I saw no shapes in the shadows as life passed into death
In recollections I find the strength to take my final breath
But I know that echoes of illusions give stories of their own
And the past of one’s life is the only thing that’s known.
Contours of life corrode slowly leaving memory cells unaware
Of the pain caused through life that left moral sense empty and bare
But the deceit in deception can never be really owned
And the wrongs of the past can never be condoned.
As the blackbird sings of memories to the phantoms of the dark
And there’s no more room on one’s body for another violent mark
So the comfort found in fantasy becomes the only place to survive
Because the real sting of death is only found when one’s alive.
© 2022 Daniel Kemp. All rights reserved
About Daniel Kemp
At the age of seventy-six, Daniel Kemp has started his second year of studying the science of Psychology at the Open University. He is a member of The Society of Authors and also a bestselling writer. However, in early September 2025, he was diagnosed with cancer. He is now in palliative care at home, being looked after by his ex-wife. When he was writing his novels, he enjoyed writing stories that appealed to those who liked challenging themselves to solve mysteries that were set out before their eyes, but they couldn't.
His introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!
On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic incident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden.
Within three months of publication, that book was under a paid option to become a $30 million film. The option lasted for six years until distribution became an insurmountable problem for the production company.
All ten of his novels are now published by Next Chapter Publishing Company which has added an edition titled The Heirs And Descendants Collection, which holds all four books of that series, alongside an edition titled The Lies And Consequences Collection which contains all four volumes of that series.
He is the recipient of rave reviews from a prestigious Manhattan publication and described as—the new Graham Green—by a highly placed executive of Waterstones Books, for whom he did a countrywide tour of book signing events. He has also appeared on 'live' television in the UK publicising his first novel.
Less
Daniel Kemp 
Your last line is very intriguing, Danny. As far as we know, this is entirely true as it is the people left behind that suffer the loss of death the most. Death is generally believed to be a movement from the chaos of life to the peace of the afterlife, regardless of religion or even non-religion, most people believe this as far as I can tell.
I thought of it in much the same way, but to me life is dishonest and death is honest. By that I mean life holds so much promise of opportunity some of which an individual can achieve and some are unachievable for most of us. Whereas with death, there is only one promise, and that comes true for us all.