Deaths Dance

living our lives on the edge

a delicate balance of being

so easily snuffed out

as youth we seem immortal

as adults we fear its coming

sensing its presence

like the cold winter wind

knifing through our souls

we hedge up barriers

yet knowing this dance will end

we fear

with age comes

life’s bittersweet lesson

that all comes to an end

that death can be a release

sometimes this lesson

comes far to early

to the child with cancer

who at battles end

reaches peace with his fate

eyes devoid of tears

so close that they can see the other side

they linger at the edge

looking back with regret

yet knowing

Joseph Men

November 15, 1996

© 2001, Joseph Men