Whisper

Come close and let me whisper this clear,

We live with loss of what is dear.

Life will end even if you fuss,

Protest it if you must.

We hold a small fraction of time,

And now, this moment, is but one in a line.

You might pass on what you know and saw,

But in the end it is a draw.

You walk alone in a group through life,

At some point you may find a husband or wife.

Together you might challenge the strife,

And along come children to leave sticky prints from the jelly knife.

At the height of time you may think you’ve won,

But the day will come when it is undone.

Children grow to follow their own sun,

And in the end there is no one.

It is a sad reality, in which we live,

But in the end we return what nature did give.

Some grievous slights we will forgive,

And others, we will just outlive.

In the end we too shall fall,

That is the handwriting on the wall.

Time will make each so very small,

Sorry to say, but fate will come to call.

You might quake and shiver, or shout defiance,

But in the end you’ll fall in compliance.

That is nature, and that is science.

In that ultimate fate you have reliance.

This is important for you to know,

For it is the fate of the rich and the low.

It is the ultimate equity for the swift and the slow.

No one escapes the vigil’s glow.

Knowing this, what should one do?

That is the question for more than a few.

Do you live for yourself, or do you live for the crew?

It is the question to ask, it remains so true.

 

Occupied Chicago Tribune. People's Summit. May 2012.