we don’t write poems
about death
when we’re young
death lies anchored
just beyond our horizon
so why bother
there is much sailing to do
there is plenty of time
to write poems about death
when we’re old
as we realize
time now holds
a different purpose
we begin each day
when we want
how we want
yet always tired from long nights
trying to understand messages
from restless visitations
we reflect with friends
on the adventures
that brought us here
we look at each other
silently judging our decline by
comparing skin tone and hair gone silver
we share notes
on doctors and procedures
ailments and medications
we exchange
our love and gratitude
for healing
we wonder in silence
who will be the first to go
and the last to leave
we notice all things
great and small within our reach
that we missed
we appreciate how the light
seems brilliantly different now
and clouds shape the day
as we turn our gaze
just past the horizon
and remind ourselves
there is still much sailing to do
Ken Owen August 2025 Van Niddy Press
