One Life
This is your one life
I told her.
Your one life,
And you spend these days
On those old things?
There's comfort
In the familiar:
Fall back;
Crablike, crawl.
Lateral is not
Forward,
But death will find you
Sideways,
Upside down,
Or backward.
This is your one life,
I said.
I dare not say
The rest.
Point made. :)
ReplyDeleteGood! I hope she got it! :)
DeleteYou already said everything you needed to say Karen so what more is there to say. It finds us all no matter what position we try to adopt to fool it.
ReplyDeleteSo, seize the day, Mark!
DeleteSo true!
ReplyDeleteStrong poem here. But.....I want to know the REST! Smiles.
ReplyDeleteI found this slightly chilling - it's a wonderful poem, and great ending. I think you are right to say no more...I suspect she would not want to hear the rest, really, either.
ReplyDeleteSad, like many lives.
beautiful... and reminds me of Mary Oliver... this is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteA difficult reality! And a great write
ReplyDeleteSay no more! We may overdo things and end up defensive!Creepy and real.Nicely Karen!
ReplyDeleteHank
Karen, fist of all: thank you so much for your perspicacious comment on my blog. I added a postscript on the strength of it.
ReplyDeleteYour topic here today relates to it as well. And I found the Philip Larkin poem featured elsewhere even more chilling.
And your 'dare not say the rest' speaks volumes.
I wouldn't be surprised if the 'her' was a close family member, one of those we don't really want to admonish any more because we can anticipate their reaction.
Such a concise write with so much between the lines.
This is very good advice, hopefully not to fall on deaf ears.
ReplyDeletea good advice.
ReplyDeletelateral is not forward. and that is the truth. i like this, thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteNo... we never dare say the rest. Some unique turns of phrase in the middle of this piece give it even greater strength. Nicely done.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2012/10/16/flowing-example/
aloha Karen - i like that you leave us (the reader) to our own thinking in this, not telling us what to think but leaving us to discover within our self. i like that a lot. thank you. aloha.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who stopped by and commented.
ReplyDelete