There is no being alive
which life does take.
It is living which claims us all.
From the weakest soul that
takes in air and even the
mightiest will fall.
Living is the fate which
we all must pay, for each
Experience of each night and of each day.
For every smile and for every frown.
The joy of love and that which
brings us down.
There is only one way to lose
your life, yet, so many ways
that one can stop living.
But, being hurt does not end
your life, nor is it a sign
to stop giving.
And living becomes such a sacred gift,
especially when we notice that
it actually will end.
And, no one wants to die all
alone, without the warm
touch of a friend.
Yet, no one wants to live
life alone, especially,
when they’re in a crowd.
And, it’s easier to give in to another
than to stand up and make
yourself proud.
There are those who are busy
dying to live, and others
who are living to die.
Then, there are those who
walk around dead, and others who
learn the value of how,
and when, to cry.
Somehow, it seems
to be so reassuring that
one day we will all share
the same fate.
That we will either die
way too soon, or
we are taken
one day
too late.
But there is a secret to life and
a secret to living.
It’s that you must be living
to feel.
It does not have to be real
to make and sense, and
it does not have to make sense
to be real.
So, to all of you
Who take life for granted, that
goes for the rich, as well as
the poor,
you can only live this life
just one time, and you can
never return to live it
once more.
08-27-1990