ready or not
by Elouise
Staring into the dark
Behind my eyelids
I see nothing
Though the buzzing
In my ear never stops
Like insects in night air
Accompanying the sound
Of tires racing downhill
Outside my window
I imagine the sun
Beaming down brightly
And backyard birds
Feasting on birdseed
Thanks to the kindness
Of the old couple who
Inhabit this old house
Now gone quiet without
The excitement and anguish
Of teenagers to color
The air or play with the
Cat or slowly but surely
Abandon this old house
For their own
Opening my eyes I see
A desk full of ideas
And papers to be sorted
Not my wildest dream
Though I want to begin and
End somewhere before
The sand in my hourglass
Runs dry whether I’m ready
Or not
Despite all the books I’ll never read, countries I’ll never visit, friends and family I may never see again, and daily news that colors the air we breathe, I love life. I also love family members and friends who helped me become the woman I am today.
Death is on my mind today. On Father’s Day our daughter’s father-in-law died. Yet another reminder that I don’t know when my time will end on this earth.
Thanks for stopping by today, and telling someone you love them.
Elouise♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 25 June 2021
Photo found at labmonline.co_uk
Telling the Truth 
I’m so sorry to hear about the death of your daughter’s father-in-law. 😦
Yes, we never know when it will be our exact time to die.
Recently, a 50 year old friend died in a car accident leaving a wife and two teenage children. 😦 We met him when he was a teenager. Such a sweet guy. We were all shocked by his sudden death. 😦
Yes, I love life, too. 🙂 We continue to use each day to do the things that need to be done…and we hope that our little corner of the world will be a bit better when we leave it than it was when we arrived. 🙂
Your poem is heart-touching and so relatable, Elouise.
(((HUGS))) 🙂
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Thank you kindly, Carolyn.
His death happened very quickly. A blessing in his case, and difficult for the family. Not quite, but a bit like your friend and his family.
Sometimes I think my little corner of the world is my inner being! 🙂 It has taken me a lifetime to begin sorting things out so that they make sense–even though it isn’t always happy sense. Poetry has been a late-life gift, though I’m convinced it was in me all the time. Feeling free to write whatever is on my heart/mind is such a blessing. Not just when I write poems, but when I go back and read them. A little story of how I grew up after I was retired! 🙂 I still pinch myself regularly. 🙂
Hugs right back to you,
Elouise
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The sand in my hourglass…love this. that is our life, sand drifting downward, getting closer and closer to running out. it’s easy to get melancholy over aging and end of life here. of missing out of events that we hold dear, knowing others will continue to celebrate birthdays, weddings, holidays,etc. Yep, it makes me sad but also glad for me because I won’t be in the missing whelm, I will be in the glory whelm.
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