Merely Human

Why do you lie there? 

Your apathy is a stench to me, 

As I hoped it would be to you. 

The first glimpse of the finish line 

Doesn't mean you can rest. 

Stand up, you temporal thing. 

Chase the horizon, you fleeting chance. 

You are human, 

Not merely human. 

But remember that you will die. 

You can count the number of years you have left. 

Fifty years can fly by fast, sir. 

Please don't look for tomorrow. 

It will never come. 

Why, then, do you slumber today? 

Awake, O passions, and discern a better end

Than what this may bring. 

Find your voice. 

Sing it out. 

"Live it like a song." 

Your tired eyes can still see the dawn. 

Your skin can still relish a warm summer breeze. 

Your heart can still love. 

Author's Note

Memento Mori: Remember you will die.

I have always been fascinated that we as humans are emotionally capable of being inspired by the things that haunt us most. Our greatest tragedies become our greatest motivators.

This is the feeling I tried to capture in this poem. It is strongly inspired by "A Dialog of Self and Soul" by Yeats.

Let me know what you think!