IS THERE LIFE BEFORE DEATH?



I find myself asking questions of
A kind to task the strongest brain:
Is there hope on Earth these days?
For the poor and the forgotten,
The flotsam
The refuse
The dregs?
Does our life have any worth?
For the downtrodden
The homeless
The old aged
The unemployed?
Is there life ... before death?

I find myself keening a solemn cry
A lonesome, mewling, sad refrain:
Is there any point to life
After serfdom has been returned
For most people
The working class
The beaten masses?
People classified as the second best?
Why can't the lesson e'er be learnt?
By Prime Ministers
Presidents
The Monarchy?
Is there life ... before death?

Musing upon deep mysteries
Wondering if life has made me insane:
O what a burden we e'er must tote
I puzzle why people keep going on,
The victims
The abused
Falsely accused?
Is there reason to believe in goodness?
Why are the leaders so often wrong?
State premiers
The senates
The courts?
Is there life ... before death?

THE END
© Copyright 2021 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

About this poem

For the downtrodden, the answer seems to be no! Let's hope there is life after death, because, for many, there is no life before death.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on September 12, 2016

Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on July 07, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

53 sec read
1

Quick analysis:

Scheme xabcxxxxcdxxE xaxxxxxxxxxxE xaxxxffdxxbxE xxx
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 978
Words 176
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 13, 13, 13, 3

Phil Roberts

I turn 65 on the 31st of January 2022. I love cats, rock music, and horror fiction and poetry more…

All Phil Roberts poems | Phil Roberts Books

7 fans

Discuss the poem "IS THERE LIFE BEFORE DEATH?" with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "IS THERE LIFE BEFORE DEATH?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/104396/is-there-life-before-death?>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    16
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    The haiku is originally from ______.
    A China
    B Indonesia
    C Japan
    D Ireland