The Poem’s Inspiration
I wrote the below poem several years ago. I began working on it one morning after listening to my parents and their friends discussing their dreams, what they hoped to do “someday.”
All the men and women were in their late 70s to early 90s in age as they discussed their bucket lists and the future. They talked as if they had all eternity to reach their dreams.
A Composite of My Observations
The poem is a composite of my observations of the people. One point stands out. Most of the couples loved each other dearly but never reconciled their hopes leaving many of their life goals unfulfilled.
More recently with my wife’s passing away from Melanoma cancer, I have found myself being very reflective. No, I have not gone down the trail of regrets. That path is only destructive.
I have thought of some of her last words. When she awoke in the hospital ICU after two days of not knowing who or where she was and realized I had followed her wishes and told the surgeon, not to perform another brain surgery, she said, “I knew this cancer was going to kill me. I just didn’t know it would be today or in the next few days.” She added, “I’m so glad you made me take my bucket list vacation in 2016 when I was still healthy enjoy to enjoy you and the vacation.”
Don’t Delay
If you have dreams, go for them. Don’t delay. You never know when the time will run out. And maybe, like my late wife, you will have no regrets.
We Never Lived In the Now
Your face shows your age,
though your countenance is still glowing,
Your age says grown-up,
but you’ve never decided where you’re going.
You’ve grown older.
Yes, I’m older too.
The remainder of our lives is before us,
oh, what’ll we do?
What were the dreams
you had so long ago?
What was your vision?
Where did it go?
You traveled your way.
I went mine.
A history so different,
Lives intertwined.
The gray now shows in our locks,
showing how much we cared.
Your grin still lights my life,
my smile brightens yours when shared.
You lived for then.
I lived for when.
We never lived in the moment.
No, we never lived in the now.
Copyright © 2008 by Jimmie Aaron Kepler
Originally published in WORDS…RHYMES…POETRY & PROSE!
The poem is included in the book “Gone Electric: A Poetry Collection” available on Kindle from Amazon.
