If I Died Today

If I died today
And suddenly my life was finished
The roaring flame put out
And the fiery spark extinguished -
And there remains nothing but ashes
Where the fire used to burn;
Nothing but the dust and ashes
To which I must return;
What would they say of me?

When the Great Referee
Calls time on my existence
Will I leave a memory
And live on in reminiscence?
Are there any lives I touched
Is there any comfort I gave?
Or will all the good I didn’t do
Be interred with me in my grave?

If I died today
Would you weep for me, and cry?
Or will my funeral be a desert -
Indifferent and dry?
Did I ever make you smile
Or did I only ever leave you sore?
Would you spare a thought for him
Whose thoughts endure no more?

When you start to speak of me
Will your voice falter and fall
When it hits you in an embarrassed wave
That you didn’t know me after all?
Was he a hero or a villain?
The debate will divide opinions
Then the moon will wax, and the moon will wane
As I slide into oblivion…

We live, we love, we eat we drink
And the grave shall swallow us all
I leave you, if I died today
These snapshots of my soul…

Reviews

[Nautili]

Lovely and contemplative. We do try to label people after they die..."he was a loving and kind man", but in our humanity I think we are both hero and villian- and that is what makes us so complex.
Nicely written.....these thoughts will endure after your death.....and i personally think death isn't an ending to intelligence, just
a portal to a new place.

[M.Babu]

Your writing is as always... fantastic stuff...

"When you start to speak of me
Will your voice falter and fall
When it hits you in an embarrassed wave
That you didn’t know me after all?
Was he a hero or a villain?
The debate will divide opinions
Then the moon will wax, and the moon will wane
As I slide into oblivion…"

The flow is perfect. the message one we all struggle with, the direction ingenious...

Reading your stuff is always inspiring...

~M.Babu~

[SINDE]

This is awesome.
The pen will live on and speak of your greatness.