Grateful

For the gift.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

We’re in pain and don’t complain
Who is going to hear?
Life is a game of roulette
Win, lose, or shed a tear.

Staying here and the fear
Of an early exit
It is part of our condition
No need to get desperate.

Happy to thrive and be alive
We don’t get permission
To do what it takes when it’s too late
Or our minutes in remission.

In the West, too many invest
In ways to mend and save
The body that is wilting
To avoid an early grave.

Age can make a fool a sage
Only the good die young
Written in our destinies
Or a slip of the tongue.

First my mother, now my brother
Life leaks and melts away
And when it is my time
That will be the day.

The end of this mystery of history
When life turns to dust
In the meantime, in rhyme
I live in faith and trust.

Some know how to make the bow
And know that life is swift
And to treasure every moment
And be grateful for the gift.

©

David Rudder
2025

Thank you for reading this piece and my poetry.