A Life Well Lived

A life well-lived, filled with moments dear,
As time ticks on, each year brings us near;
To the gentle embrace that awaits,
When we finally face our ultimate fates.

Inches of youth begin to slip away,
Slowly replaced by silvered gray;
Eyes once bright now see with more care,
As wisdom deepens with new strands of hair.

The body no longer moves quite so fast,
Aches and pains come to last;
But the heart holds memories tight,
As laughter and love become our light.

Echoes of time spent with loved ones dear,
Fade into dreams as we draw near;
To a grand journey’s gentle end,
When life slows down to lend a helping hand.

The mind may forget and moments blur,
But the soul holds precious memories secure;
Love shared and laughter had,
As we wade through this river called life, towards its end.

Days turn into nights with ease,
As our heartbeats slow and decrease;
Breath by breath, the body sighs,
While the soul prepares to take flight into the skies.

Family gathers near, hands held tight,
Eyes filled with love, a final sight;
As whispers of goodbyes touch the air,
We know that our dear one has found solace there.

The body lays still, now at rest,
A life well-lived, a journey best;
Tears are shed and hearts are full,
For the love we shared was oh so real.

And as the soul ascends with grace,
Each memory fades without haste;
The world continues to spin and grow,
But our loved one’s tale will forever flow.

In this quiet surrender to age,
Death comes not with rage or outrage;
But a gentle embrace as we let go,
Of the beauty of life that we all know.

For time is fleeting and love is pure,
And as we lay our heads to slumber sure;
We’ll remember lives well-lived with joy,
Finding strength within our own ploy.

So do not fear the coming night,
Nor dread the end of your light;
For in death there is beauty, peace and rest,
And a life well-lived is forever blessed.

A legacy left for those who mourn,
Love shared and lessons taught to adorn;
Their hearts will forever hold the memories dear,
As we all move on to face another year.

So let us not grieve but celebrate,
The life that has now reached its fate;
A journey well-traveled and a love so true,
A story that will forever live anew.

For when we come to the end of our days,
We’ll all face that gentle embrace;
And as we lay down to rest our heads,
Our souls will rise, as our spirits spread.

So let us not fear what lies ahead,
But cherish each moment instead;
For in life and death alike, there’s grace,
And in the end, we all find our place.

.

Dear Mike Ettinger,

Thank you for sending your work to POETRY magazine—and thank you, too, for your patience as you waited for our response.

We won’t be publishing anything from your submission, but we wish you the best of luck in publishing it elsewhere and appreciate you sending it our way.

Thanks so much for your support of the magazine. We hope you are as safe and well as can be.

Gratefully,

The Editors