Sand dune in the Great Sand Hills of southern Saskatchewan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If it were to end now I wouldn’t mind
I’ve led a full life to my definition
There’s little left behind
I’ve tasted love enough to fill me
My hunger was refined
And I’ve learnt to be more generous
More kind
If I were to pass this world now who should know?
My life is small and private
No need to grow
The years of youth and longing
Are long ago
The beating of this aging heart is soft
And slow
If illness were to strike I’d nod and take its hand
It isn’t what I drew to me
Or what I planned
Yet in the weave and web of life
I’d understand
For every day in this short life
Is shifting sand
© Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
helenvalentina 
I would notice your absence Sis. xxxx
Thanks dear Sis! But this poem isn’t meant to be melancholic, just accepting of life’s changes and, ultimately, its end, whenever that may come. 🙂 🙂 xxxx
People would know. I think a lot of people underestimate the effect their absence would have on those around them.
Probably true, though the poem is supposed to be quite liberating, the sense of a life well lived and an acceptance of the inevitability of change, including the final change of all. 🙂
Got it. For personal reasons, my mind is on other things. Sorry about that.
No need to apologise, a few people obviously read it as sad and despairing, so its my fault, not anyone else’s!! 🙂
Fun part of poetry. People will always see what they want to see.
I really like the structure, and the build to the short last line of each stanza
after reading lots of rhymeless, metreless, structureless poems on wordpress it’s nice to read one that has been crafted with thought
Wow, thank you so much, that is so kind!! 🙂 🙂
Hello Helen, this is a good poem in hat it is good to be in a state of mind where whatever happens in life you can accept, for you are right life is about shifting sand, great image.
Exactly – I didn’t mean it to be sad, just accepting, and it’s not as though I suspect the end is imminent for me, I was just musing when I wrote in a number of weeks ago that if the end did come I couldn’t complain of not having lived a good life. 🙂
You never fail to amaze me with the variety of themes you base your poems on – where do you get them from? 🙂
Thank you! Lots of places inspire me and lots of things. This one was just thinking about life in general and realising that I have had a relatively lucky and good life and that this is comforting and so forth. Other times I do things like flick through magazines and just write down article titles or combinations of words I see, then I look at the list one by one and go through them using them as inspiration to write poems usually very different in meaning/intent to what was in the magazine, LOL. When I do that I might write a dozen poems at a stretch just using the list of word combinations as titles and inspiration. Or I look at DVD titles, or I see a quote…I don’t know…I just try to see groups of words then use them as titles or themes in some way that resonates with me. 🙂 🙂
Long may you continue to be inspired Helen 🙂
Great poem, Sis….I am so glad you are not planning to go anywhere, just yet! I would miss you tons! 🙂
Yes, this is no statement of intent or even prophecy, just a statement of gratitude really for a good life and a recognition of that. 🙂
Aye, but you have so many years left to write and bring us all joy.
Thanks so much Ionia, I really didn’t mean this to come across as melancholy as it actually did, but that is very kind of you to say!! 🙂 😉
I so wish i could think this way about my illness
‘Yet in the weave and web of life
I’d understand
For every day in this short life
Is shifting sand’
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause distress. My meaning is I could look at things this way because I’m old, and therefore I have lived a full life. I do not think that younger people would or should think that way. All the very best to you. 🙂
You didn’t really cause distress just a wish to live life more accepting of life’s changes
Well, first of all, I’m glad others asked the tough questions before I did: 1) are you okay; 2) do you know we’d miss you. Having had bad health I have the bad habit of immediately panicking and thinking something is wrong — so I am so glad you’re okay! Phew! Hope we didn’t upset or discourage you … it’s just that we care a whole lot. It’s good to exorcise the fears and come to terms with life’s … um … terms. So I’m glad you wrote this. 😀
On another note … WOW! I love this poem. You never fail to inspire!
Thank you! I’m fine, totally fine. It’s funny how something I saw, and wrote, as a kind of gratitude and acceptance poem could be seen so darkly, but when I read it back in light of the comments I understood, and was filled with even more gratitude that so many wonderful friends on wordpress cared enough to check I was ok. It was all very heartwarming but I’m sorry if I worried anyone!! 🙂 🙂
Hey, no need again to apologize — again, my personal excuse is just that I’ve had rotten, crummy health luck — and I tend to project those fears.
BUT WordPress is an awesome place – so many incredible, supportive, wonderful people to meet here! 🙂 It’s a great community, isn’t it?
It certainly is – it feels like an extended, an very supportive, family!! 🙂 🙂