Monday, April 01, 2024

1602 - Memento mori

 


The Sunday Whirl presents twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece:
creation seeds waters blood breathe turtle sacred bones curve sky pray heal


Memento mori

From that moment of creation,
That bloody, noisy show,
We wish to find causation,
The reason for our woe.

We know it must be there, hiding,
Like some turtle in the weeds.
Why can’t it be confiding,
And fill our basic needs?

There’s little sacred about our life,
Just bones and mostly water
Existence pivots on a knife:
Long for some, too often shorter.

That’s not to say life’s profane,
We cherish and adore,
There is so much we’d do again,
And again, as we often have before.

We look and pray towards the sky 
But pass from and to the soil,
Like seeds that think and try
To comprehend their mortal coil.

Time heals all wounds they say,
But time is curved, not straight.
How can we know from day to day
What lands upon our plate?

Is there a reason for this life?
To breathe and love and die?
To bid farewell to a loving wife
But to never know just why?

Yet, as we lament those now past
The same fate waits us all.
Nothing good is sure to last
And we all will get the call.

Print this post

10 comments:

  1. There’s little sacred about our life,
    Just bones and mostly water.... the grief and angst is felt throughout the poem....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes - Age can be cruel and time is relentless - But perhaps it is a mercy that nothing lasts forever. It really is a thought provoking poem, well done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The questions and reality of life so exquisitely expressed. Lots of wisdom Love it

    ReplyDelete
  4. There's a lot sacred about your life. The kindness and caring you extend to others makes you count and loved .You are more than bones and water. There are mysteries which none of us will never know. They will stay hidden with that turtle. Grief and loss are hard to bear and we will all suffer it and get the call as well but if we are lucky there will be empathy and love from those who support and care about us.That is what life should be....kindness and love....It's the most important thing that enables us to survive this hell hole. You are loved.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This heartfelt poem resonates. Reasons for being are like "turtles in the weeds" playing hide-and-seek amid our joys and sorrows.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I related. Lots of good depth and questions here. And what after the call? I'm left wondering.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your last stanza sums up well what is to come. But, like Allen I think it must be a mercy that nothing lasts forever.

    ReplyDelete
  8. One can hope that the side is that nothing bad is sure to last. A bit of balance, right. If not, well... I don't even want to wonder.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "There’s little sacred about our life,
    Just bones and mostly water
    Existence pivots on a knife:
    Long for some, too often shorter."

    Just one stanza of this brilliant poem.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Having said farewell to more than several friends and loved ones recently, I am acutely reminded of what lingers on, their essence, my memories ... all their unconditional love for which I am most grateful. Your poem is lovingly composed, "J" .....

    ReplyDelete

You've come this far - thank you.
Take your time, look around,
There is lots to see.