LIfe Ends

My response to Life Ends by [e-mail]

Once when I was younger

and invincible as hell

I met a man who'd done his time

(and he had done it well)

He needed no reminded that

 the reaper stalked his path

His four score years and then some,

had shown him nature's wrath

 

He offered no regrets at all

 for his misguided youth

And told me of his arrogance,

 his rudeness and uncouth

But now he saw that dust to dust

was close upon his heels

And tried to pass the word along

of just how sad that feels

 

In those days of my ignorance,

I failed to catch the drift

Our perch upon the hill of life

left far too large a rift

Now my four score has also gone

I feel the reapers breath

And recognize my friends resign

at their approaching death

 

Thank you for reminding me

of those days long ago

And of a man who tried to tell

me what I didn't know

Reviews

[Lisasview]

Step by step as our lives move on, we might just be lucky enough to actually appreciate our days here.
Not easy to hear the words, when we are young, of someone older and wiser..to actually take in what they are saying..
Time is what helps most of us come to the realisation that life is short and there is no going back..
So the best plan is to move forward and to hope someone hears us.
Lisa in Spain
PS I believe you have a typo error.. L 5... did you mean reminder or reminding?? You wrote reminded..sorry, if I am wrong..

[An owl on the moon]

There is a world of beauty and truth here that you now pass on to all of us. How often do we wander the world not realizing the ending; our ending. We write chapters as if the book would go on forever. But yes, there is a final chapter, and we need to be aware of it now... today. So profoundly moving, dear poet.

[Norbanus]

It seems as if you understand this poem better than I do, Owl. Thanks so much for a deeper insight. This should be worth another poem. The old man in this story is real. I've been embarrassed each time I thought of him, for the last fifty years.

[An owl on the moon]

I wonder what other messages might be meant to flow from you so can find that peace in those thoughts looking back. Seems he is still teaching.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Superb allegorical poem! Callous youth take heed of the lesson here taught by age and experience...Excellent language, form, flow, cadence, rhyme...we are but ‘dust in the wind’ of time and humility gets us much farther than arrogance. Kudos!

[Norbanus]

Geez...What a delightful review. I think. With words like allegorical in it, I'd better be careful. Fifty dollar words always make me nervous.

Thanks a million.

[Norbanus]

Geez...What a delightful review. I think. With words like allegorical in it, I'd better be careful. Fifty dollar words always make me nervous. I'm a two dollar word kinda guy.

Thanks a million.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Ha! You’re very welcome.

[barleygirl]

Love this message becuz of the honesty. Excellent job of showing instead of telling, the lessons we see and yet altogether miss in our puffed-up youth ("invincible as hell" -- says so much!) If only we didn't have to actually LIVE the lessons to learn them . . . if only we could take another's word for it! *sigh!* Have missed you here lately & I hope you're not drifting away on us! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Norbanus]

Thank you so much for the kind words and the delightful review, Margie.

I've been offline with computer troubles lately. That seems to happen to me too often.

Cheers

[apennylate]

Meter and topic are stuck with like glue, and what a glue... Reapers breath reminding me of approaching death, and rifts too large for drifting arrogance spent... Well presented, and with four score left to go... I leave like life long ago, hah... Penned with affinity to mortality

[Norbanus]

Thanks for your happy words and insight, Silente.

[apennylate]

Of course, anytime

[Great Aunt Astri]

What a well constructed response! And I see what you are getting at. Well thought out and presented to us. I enjoyed reading it.