The Longest Wake
I used to believe in solidity and predictability.
I held fast to the concept that I held the reins;
that I could plan and execute a flawless destiny.
Don't get me wrong―there is something to be said
for hard work, faith, integrity, and belief.
But nothing can stop the pull of death,
the destruction it leaves, or the time it takes to grieve.
Denial steals years like cigarettes steal heartbeats.
Decades ripped from lives faster than you realize.
And all that loss... hauntingly lovely in the way
it wakes you from your slumbering stupor...
that endless loss returns cyclically to remind you
that you can take nothing for granted on this plane,
no matter how much love or money you accumulate.
So even if you work your fingers to the brittle bones beneath,
and run on empty, pushing your body past the call of sleep...
Remember this one thing as the hours fluidly creep:
the end that hovers―ominous and heavy―is the only guarantee.