Life

LIFE

All of us are given life-
And a space in which to live it.
There’s a botta poured out for you
Of choices, needs, and riches-
For you to pare it.

What-have-you-done?
How much of each day’s portion-
Have you wasted?
What percentage have you developed-
To benefit man?

As years wane on
Some portion is poured,
A smaller amount to use-
It had to be shared.

When the botta tips the last drop-
Of the honey of life;
That maleable juice to fashion the truth,
Or enriching the future by reshaping the past,
Will you truth say – I fought?
I shaped? I served? I wrought?

When the botta is empty-
Will you lie with a smile-
That says, - “I was.”?

Douglas Noel