I have lived with one foot in the grave
For as long as I can remember.
There are flurries of peace
And light rains of rest,
But the night always comes,
At Death’s behest.
The sun will come, and clouds will clear
But until then, Death is near.
And how long, after all, can I expect to last?
Within this night that is so wide and so vast?
Because the time will surely come
When the darkness feels too dark
And the ground turns quicksand
While all along the voices carp
In the vastness so grand
And the pain, titanium sharp
And too much
And too much
And too much
And too much
Death lives with me, walks with me, echoes
in my head.
He is my most attentive enemy, and ally,
and friend.
I feel him deeply; he has taken root
A perennial growth that keeps growing
shoots
It’s too much
And too much
And too much
And too much
How long can I beat him back,
That enemy and friend,
How long can he lurk
Until my eyes go blurry
And he gets to work–
Then comes the flurry.
He exists in all realms,
At all angles,
From every side
At every helm
On every ride
Playing his knell
How long, I think, how long?
That is the question.
How long will he fight?
How long can I last?
How long is this night?
Will it be my last?
I have lived with one foot in the grave
For as long as I can remember.
There are flurries of peace
And light rains of rest,
But the night always comes,
At Death’s behest.
How long, I think, how long?
That is the quest.
How long is this night?
How long is this fight?
How long will I have to stay
How long do I have to pray
For a new day to begin
And the sun to shine again?
And yet I know in my heart,
That even the sun does not keep him away.
He is always there, always in the shadows.
A predator stalking prey through the
darkness of the gallows.
Waiting for the time to be right
To again, establish the night.
I have lived with one foot in the grave,
For as long as I can remember.
And will continue to brave the day
Until my fire has burnt to embers.
How long will I last, I wonder.
How long til the fire is rent asunder?
As long as I feed it, I know.
As long as I feed it, it will grow.
If the sun can never truly erase the night
It is up to me and my fire to keep the world
bright.
And the night will fade again,
And again,
And again,
And again,
And again.
I have had one foot in the living world,
For as long as I can remember,
But that is all I need,
To burn through every cold December.
