Still Living
Sometimes as I look at the world, I think,
“It’s a good thing that I’m on the brink.”
At eighty years old, I’ve not long to go.
Will I outlast democracy? I really don’t know.
And then I look at what I have left to do,
Books I have started, and never seen through.
And that isn’t all as new ideas come to mind
I so want to write them, but where will I find
The time that is needed to get all of it done?
I need a hundred years, or else help from someone.
Then, thinking of dying brings me up short.
I have closets to clean and items to sort.
How much longer until I fall dead?
I’d better just say what needs to be said.
Do for my children what lightens their task.
And answer the questions they forgot to ask.
I’ve books I should rewrite, but first I must toss
Rubbish and old stuff gathering moss.
But I find myself stymied by so much to do,
I dare not, though I want to, start something new.
But then I realize, as I’ve thought of my age,
I’ve put life on hold; I’ve built me a cage.
And so, as I’m thinking of the day I will die,
I’ve forgotten to live, and I’m wondering why.
About this poem
On turning 80, I suddenly began to feel like life was running out, although my health is still good and my mind active. Then I wrote this rhyme about where my thinking started and where it led.
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Written on June 23, 2022
Submitted by janet_1 on June 23, 2022
Modified on March 08, 2023
- 1:15 min read
- 97 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH II CC JJ KK |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
| Characters | 1,139 |
| Words | 252 |
| Stanzas | 12 |
| Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
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"Still Living" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/131640/still-living>.
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