Great

No one 

Has asked me lately 

What I think 

Makes a life 

Great 

 

If they did

I’d say

 

It’s a stranger 

Offering to share 

A swim lane

At a crowded pool

 

It’s appreciating

The enough-ness

Of an average house 

An average job

 

It’s having 

A few dreams

Come true

 

It’s living the life you decide

With the people you’ve chosen 

 

It’s pursuing opportunities 

That light up your soul

 

It’s looking out for another

Because we all

Need a hand up

Sometimes 

 

It’s living unafraid in freedom 

 

It’s being kind because it’s right 

To be kind

 

It’s learning from our mistakes 

And becoming better humans 

It’s living in a society 

Where the schoolyard bully 

Would never 

Be elected principal

It’s living without fear

That a disability

A skin color

Or an immigration status 

Might land you

In concentration camp 

Might get you killed

It’s the simplest 

Of things really

That make 

Life great

So the question then

That needs answer

Why take these things away

And exactly who

Is life great for

When these things

Are gone

Remaining Years

With my remaining years

I don’t desire

Travel to far-away places

 

As much as I desire

Travel within

And to know myself well

 

To leave some measure 

Of wisdom

To those 

Coming into the world

As I’m leaving it

 

To remind myself 

And others

 

That an average life

An average appearance even

Isn’t so bad

 

That there are worse things 

In life 

Than being chubby

 

Like lacking empathy

Or living void

Of compassion

For instance

 

That most of us

Get to a point in life

 

When our bodies will 

No longer

Conform 

 

When we feel 

More vulnerable

Than strong 

 

And this is 

To be expected

 

This is a right

Of passage

 

And the good news remains

 

Life is still ok

Life is still good

 

Our vessels 

Wear down

With use

 

All efforts

To get them back

In factory condition

Are futile

 

But mostly

They still drive

Even if they sometimes 

Make a tinny sound

Or need higher quality fuel

 

They still take you

Where you need to go

 

So go

 

Don’t waste 

One minute more

Apologizing

To the world 

Or yourself 

 

For what 

Is visible proof

Of a life

Being lived

Forgive Yourself Now

 

Forgive yourself now

For all you’ll never be

 

You will die someday

With some regrets

 

With at least a handful

Of unfulfilled dreams

 

With things you wanted to do

But never did

 

You will die

Before you are done

Living 

 

And that is ok

 

That is what it is

To be human

 

To try 

 

To strive

 

To be surprised 

That we are out of time

 

To understand

That our imperfectly lived lives

Still meant something 

 

Still left the world changed