nothing lasts forever

it took me three years to finish this poem. I hope it is enjoyable.

awake my child from the dreams of night
smile and dance to the morning light
sing aloud the song of today
but never forget it never can stay

but we all try to hold on so fast
and what was the first turned out to be last
and the tighter that we gripped
the more away from us it slipped

and water drips from our hands
and time flies away from us
no longer leaving any demands
leaving us to return to dust

nothing lasts forever(c)2015dlj

Author's Note

greetings from a late Louisiana Saturday night.

Reviews

[lenabean]

I like this poem, Daniel. I was intrigued when you described this poem as having taken three years to write. That's true dedication, my friend. Your rhyme scheme is very interesting-it goes AABB CCDD EFEF. The stylistic choice of changing the pattern in the last stanza was a creative one, and I think it works. You could get away with it, or you could change it to "and water drips from our hands/no longer leaving any demands/and time flies away from us/leaving us to return to dust." I like the second one because it fits into the original rhyme scheme, and every other line starts with "and," but I also like the original version because the first two lines start with "and", and changing the rhyme scheme shakes things up a bit. Whatever you do with the last stanza, this entire poem is beautiful. Thank you for sharing the excellent work! :)

[daniel lee johnson]

Thanks Lena. I have several poems from years gone by that are unfinished. I often work on them and most of the time there are years in between the beginning and completion of the poem. I would urge any writer to save everything they write. I never did that till I was fifty and now mourn for the lost poems. I never intentionally think about rhyme schemes. Most of my writing is subconscious so to speak how ever I do like the rewrite you did on the last verse

[FateDictates]

I love the idea that nothing lasts, evens out the playing field, I think. or is it the promise of new adventures and the end of the days that teach me how to know pleasure and compare it to pain? rambling on again, I am...you made me think..

[daniel lee johnson]

Thanks and I am am glad it got you thinking

[Melinda McQueen]

Such a great write and very true. I liked it.

[daniel lee johnson]

Thanks so much Melinda !!!!

[Sharon L.H. Kelly]

My mother used to say that as one got older time seemed to speed up. She was right, and this piece sums it up perfectly. Well done!

[daniel lee johnson]

Yes and she was right. At 54 it is flying by so fast. Like a train that goes faster as it reaches or nears its destination

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the harder we try to hold on to life, the more it slips through our hands, minds and hearts...

i like it...and those lines starting with the conjunctions...very Beat-like.

[daniel lee johnson]

Thanks and snaps fingers

[Zac]

Very good write
I enjoyed reading it

[daniel lee johnson]

Thanks very much Zac.

[Zac]

You're welcome

[Zac]

You are a very good poet

[daniel lee johnson]

Thanks man. Sometimes I think my poetry is all a bunch of crap though lol

[Zac]

Don't think that way,
And if you do, just strive to make it better.

[Jamestown]

Very nice write, completely enjoyed reading this!
You are absolutely correct when saying, nothing lasts forever!
Great flow and clear message!
Thanks for sharing and b-blessed!

[daniel lee johnson]

Thank you as always Jamestown and apologize it took so long to answer!!