Life's Slacker
The saddest sort of death to die
Would be to quit the game called life
And know, beneath the gentle sky,
You'd lived a slacker in the strife.
That nothing men on earth would find
To mark the spot that you had filled;
That you must go and leave behind
No patch of soil your hands had tilled.
I know no greater shame than this:
To feel that yours were empty years;
That after death no man would miss
Your presence in this vale of tears;
That you had breathed the fragrant air
And sat by kindly fires that burn,
And in earth's riches had a share
But gave no labor in return.
Yet some men die this way, nor care:
They enter and they leave life's door
And at the end, their record's bare—
The world's no better than before.
A few false tears are shed, and then,
In busy service, they're forgot.
We have no time to mourn for men
Who lived on earth but served it not.
A man in perfect peace to die
Must leave some mark of toil behind,
Some building towering to the sky,
Some symbol that his heart was kind,
Some roadway where strange feet may tread
That out of gratitude he made;
He cannot bravely look ahead
Unless his debt to life is paid.
poem by Edgar Albert Guest
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Compensation
I'd like to think when life is done
That I had filled a needed post.
That here and there I'd paid my fare
With more than idle talk and boast;
That I had taken gifts divine.
The breath of life and manhood fine,
And tried to use them now and then
In service for my fellow men.
I'd hate to think when life is through
That I had lived my round of years
A useless kind, that leaves behind
No record in this vale of tears;
That I had wasted all my days
By treading only selfish ways,
And that this world would be the same
If it had never known my name.
I'd like to think that here and there,
When I am gone, there shall remain
A happier spot that might have not
Existed had I toiled for gain;
That someone's cheery voice and smile
Shall prove that I had been worth while;
That I had paid with something fine
My debt to God for life divine.
poem by Edgar Albert Guest
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Punishment
There never really was a place of sanctity
For you, the mortal entity.
You thought you had prosperity,
The while you thrived and were.
Angels don't exist, you see.
You lived without a guarantee
Atop your brutal Earth.
Still, you had a birth.
And whither now, your crying whim -?
Answered by a tearing limb-?
Are you contrite; your valour slim?
And will He care...?
'Tis down to Him.
Copyright Mark R Slaughter,2009
Death has come, has death Death has come, has death
Death has come, has death Death has come, has death
Death has come, has death Death has come, has death
Death has come, has death Death has come, has death
Death has come, has death Death has come, has death
Death has come, has death Death has come, has death
poem by Mark R Slaughter
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
My Big Brother
You've always been here for me,
But now you are about to leave.
I know we fuss and fight,
But I love you with all my might.
You are my big brother,
And there is no other.
No one can take your place,
And when you leave, there will be this big empty space.
We've never been really close,
But at least you have not always lived across the coast.
Because some big brothers do,
I'm really grateful for the years I've lived with you.
I remember when I was small,
And I would always fall.
You were always there for me,
And I know you always will be.
You told me not to cry,
That it would be ok.
Even if I thought you lied,
It was like my big brother saved the day.
You’ve made me laugh, you’ve made me cry,
You've even helped me hide some lies.
I love you is something I don’t tell you enough,
But I want you to know
When you leave it will be really tough.
I don’t know how my life will be,
Without you here beside me.
You've lived with me for some years,
But now we're shedding our good-bye tears.
I know you have to move out,
And start a life of your own.
But promise me without a doubt,
You will never forget us back home.
poem by Carlisa Smith
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Death, Inevitable Death
Death, inevitable Death.
So now You come to show Your world,
Hence the blackened cloak – unfurled.
And peering down upon my form
– Bereft of pity – Your eyes of storm.
Death, inexorable Death.
‘When? ’ The only question out of Thee.
My dream retorts 'But ne’er for me! ’
But now awake, I bid you so –
My giving tears cry ‘Where to go? ’
Death, adamant Death.
You cast Your spell and guide me 'way,
For life and I have had our day.
And what of me? I prey You, tell!
Be glorious in Heaven or gnarled in Hell?
Death, ineluctable Death.
Oh wiry ghoul, I'm here to follow –
I leave my body grey and shallow.
‘Come! ’ You bid in thund’ring tones,
‘Beg farewell to shattered bones.’
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2009
Death
Death death
Death death death
Death death death death
Death death death death death
Death death death death death death death death
Death death death death death death death death
Death death death death death
Death death death death
Death death death
Death death
Death
poem by Mark R Slaughter
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Perhaps Just To Myself Alone.....
perhaps to leave a mark
of what i am
i must leave a memory of
us,
but it is not just possible
there is no us
we're like lovers who
got entangled in the arms of
foreign cities
so perhaps to leave a mark
without us
i can just write and write
anything i wish
anything i can imagine that
could have been a possibility
or perhaps i can tell you
that the best i can do is to accept
that without you my life
can still be a beautiful thought
whatever,
i still must a leave a mark
a kiss on the earth's surface
that perhaps you can
feel
sometimes i laugh at myself
awed by the
wonders of my
own grasping about what is this
loneliness
all about
perhaps after i have crossed this
border
i shall remember
perhaps alone i can smile in the
mirror
and then finally
tell it all
whatever, perhaps just to myself alone
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Fresh Endeavour
So now I've taken leave of life,
I thought you'd like to know, I still
Possess a mind in love, oh wife;
A soulful eye to catch a show of
Silent beauty – ever yours;
An ear to pick the metaphors
Of tonal dance in words you say,
Grasp a thought in verse you pray
Inside your head, bemused of mind,
Softly mournful, intertwined with
Understanding tears.
I'll drift a whisper o'er to you
To tell that I am quietly calm;
Keeping time till your adieu
To flesh, upon the carol of a
Psalm of consummation. Now!
A fresh endeavour – we're forever
One together, resting yonder,
Cross our open plane of blue.
Copyright Mark R Slaughter 2009
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
death death death death death death death
poem by Mark R Slaughter
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Disagreement
You say 'That man was made to mourn.'
Would you have me believe it—
Believe earth holds no recompense
Until death bids me leave it—
Believe there is but misery
And toil on toil, in store for me?
No. I do not, cannot believe,
While heaven smiles above me,
That I was doom'd on earth to mourn
With naught to cheer or love me.
Wise Bard, although your dirge rings true,
I do not agree with you.
poem by Raymond Garfield Dandridge
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Keep Shining
Heaven and earth will not change places
Birth and death will not change time
But time will leave its mark on faces
And the stars will bravely shine.
Life and dreams will not be hollow
The thing that's lost, yet we will find
We will not stray if we but follow
Close to the stars that bravely shine.
A man will learn to search inside him
For what, at birth, was left behind
All his days, his own heart to guide him-
Within, without, the brave stars shine.
poem by Patti Masterman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Precious In His Sight
Precious in the sight of God, are saints, who leave this earthly sod,
His children, who experienced death, as they receive eternal breath;
No longer left on the earth to roam, as they enter their eternal home,
Prepared for them by Jesus Christ, when they step into Eternal Life.
They’ll leave behind some family, still on that other side of Eternity,
Their loved ones indeed will grieve, but, we must know and believe,
That as they move from this earth, their life takes on Eternal Worth,
And they’re now, in a better place, provided by God’s loving Grace.
We may not understand God’s will, and probably won’t, that is until,
We step onto God’s Gilded Shore, to see His face and much more;
Dear friend, after all, we are His, and to enter into Eternity, is a Gift,
And its Full Measure, only starts, when from earth, the soul departs.
This departure, shall be for us too, as God’s Word is Sure and True,
Our departing from a world amiss, to God’s Heavenly, Eternal Bliss,
To be freed from all pain and strife, only when we enter Eternal Life,
This is the Hope, which has endured, to all, who belong to The Lord.
When one dies, although it’s sad, our heart for them should be glad,
We may have lost, one who died, but, now they’re at the Lord’s side,
Now precious in their Lord’s sight, being filled with Heavenly Delight,
And when we join them my friend, our time together will have no end.
(Copyright ©05/2010)
Immortal
What is immortality to me?
It's a chance again to breathe so free,
never to be inundated with worldly pain,
always to know how to remain
at peace with myself no matter where
and speak no words except for prayer.
We people of this earth cannot conceive
and probably never will believe
in a warless existence that comes alive
where peace and love for all does thrive.
We have walked this earth too many times.
We will leave the graves and we'll hear the chimes.
And we will survive.
I am immortal and so are you.
We'll leave all falseness and find what's true.
We won't have to wonder who we are.
We'll understand that we're not too far
from every place we've ever been
and from every place that's filled with sin.
We have lived many times and then we died.
But still we rose again with pride.
We will leave that pride, leave it behind
and as we leave it we will find
everything that we've ever sought
and all the things that were ever thought.
We will finally know we're immortal.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Time, A Place
Tears you weep today will dry
I tell you this because I am with you still
I will wipe them by and by
As all those who love you will
I am without the taunt of pain
Without the taunt of illness or fear
I am at peace with all my heart
But that peace will also keep me near
For the body may be broken
The words may have been silenced too
But the soul as such replenished
By the love from such as you.
Don't hang your head in sorrow
Be uplifted by my words so wise
For i tread the path of those before me
That reaches to the skies
Go from this place and celebrate a life
Not mourn a passing or a death
For I have eternal light for warmth
And breeze from angels wings for breath
Our time on earth is but a blink of an eye
But in that blink I lived as only I would care
One day again our paths will twine
And I will be waiting for you.... there.
Tears you weep today will dry
I tell you this because I am with you still
I will wipe them by and by
As all those who love you will
I am without the taunt of pain
Without the taunt of illness or fear
I am at peace with all my heart
But that peace will also keep me near
For the body may be broken
The words may have been silenced too
But the soul as such replenished
By the love from such as you.
Don't hang your head in sorrow
Be uplifted by my words so wise
For i tread the path of those before me
That reaches to the skies
Go from this place and celebrate a life
Not mourn a passing or a death
For I have eternal light for warmth
And breeze from angels wings for breath
Our time on earth is but a blink of an eye
But in that blink I lived as only I would care
One day again our paths will twine
And I will be waiting for you.... there.
poem by Dave James
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Dacian's prayer [Rugăciunea unui dac]
When there was neither death, nor immortality,
Nor seed of light to give life and fertility,
Nor yesterday, today, tomorrow and for ever,
For one was everything and all were one together;
When earth and sky and air and all this world profound
Were things that until then had never been around,
Back then, was only You, and in my mind I wonder,
Who is the God we worship, who makes us hear the thunder?
He is the God that stood before all gods in dark
And from the boundless waters produced a little spark,
He gives the gods their souls, makes happy His creation
He is for all the people a fountain of salvation
Cheer up and praise the Lord! Forget about your strife,
He is the death of death and is the life of life!
And He gave me the eyes to see the shining light
And mercifully filled my heart with pure delight
In roaring winds I've heard His footsteps all the time
And in a sublime song I've felt His holy rhyme,
But beside all these things, I still have a request,
To let me find at last His sweet eternal rest!
To curse the man who wants to soothe my awful pain
To bless the one who always oppresses me in vain,
To listen any mouth that shouts at me with strife,
To strengthen any arm that wants to take my life
And let that guy to be the best and walk ahead
Who comes to steal the stone on which I lay my head!
Rejected by the people, I'll roam through all my years
Until I feel my eyes devoid of any tears,
For every man will be my bitter foe from birth,
That's why I cannot judge or measure my own worth;
The pain and the ordeal have chilled my heart severely,
That I can curse my mother, whom I have loved so dearly –
But when my hate will fade and love will take its place
I might forget my pain and leave this life with grace.
And if I die an outlaw who wanted to be free,
Let them throw out my body to rot under a tree
And offer, God, a crown with many precious stones
To him who'll bring the dogs to eat my heart and bones.
And give eternal life to those who slap my face,
Who throw at me with stones and sink me in disgrace!
And only then, my Father, I'll thank you on my knees,
Because You gave me power to go through life with ease
I shall not beg for mercy or bend my head and cry
To curses, spite and evil I want to turn Your eye,
To feel Your holy breath upon my mortal face,
To die and rest in peace and leave behind no trace!
poem by Mihai Eminescu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
Submitted by anonym
Vote! | Copy!
Your World
The warmest day of all my life
You came to me, I held you in my hands
And something changed forever
I want you for a better time
To know the beauty of our Mother Earth
Cherish her forever
Never felt in such a hurry
So little time, so much to do
I lie awake and dream the dreams I'll share with you
This is your world now
No one can chase all your fears away
This is your world now
Trust in your heart to lead the way
I still recall a day so clear
I saw the future in my mother's eyes
Filled with tears of sorrow
The years roll by, the times do change
The truth around us harder to disguise
As we face tomorrow
So many promises were made me
So little hope remains alive
I only pray the dreams I leave you will survive
This is your world now
No one can chase all your fears away
Fight for your world now
Trust in your heart to find the way
You'll see what I'm saying / When you're on your own
The war that you're facing / Isn't yours alone
I am a man in search of reasons
Though I am still as much to blame
It's up to me to leave you more than just my name
This is your world now
No one can chase all your fears away
Fight for your world now
Trust in your heart to lead the way
This is your world now
I want to chase all your fears away
Fight for your world now
I know that somehow you'll find your way
song performed by by Richard Marx
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Clock of Life
You fought for my freedom.
I lived like a slave.
You gave your life for me.
So I could be saved.
From a life lived for myself.
More was never enough.
The things I thought made life easier.
But it just made life tough.
Keeping up with the Joneses.
Of my treasures I’d boast.
My material possessions.
Were the things I loved most.
Not the gifts that you lent me.
But the treasures I earned.
Now I see just how Satan.
Wants me to get burned.
Keep your eyes on the prizes.
Let your gifts pay the price.
For all your heart it goes into.
Holds you tight like a vice.
It will squeeze your life from you.
You’ll leave God behind.
You don’t realize that Satan.
Is robbing you blind.
Once he has taken it from you.
He will take your last breath.
And what once was a gift.
Has now become death.
He keeps you in your past.
Makes you think of tomorrow.
And this takes your today.
Time it cannot be borrowed.
For it’s all that you have.
And it is what he will take.
Til your heart is so broken.
That your spirit will break.
Life lived for your body.
Or lived for your mind.
The truths of the earth.
Keeps your spirit confined.
Your love is your time.
Your heart ticks like a clock.
And when it is over.
Your time it will stop.
When it is finished.
When you are gone.
Will your spirit die too.
Or will it live on?
Spend your time very wisely.
And in others invest.
This is what the Lord tells us.
And our Father knows best.
Live your life by your spirit.
Body and mind they will die.
One day they’ll be buried.
But your spirit will fly.
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Separation [Despărţire]
Shall I request, my darling, a token of your love?
I wish I could have kept you, but you flew like a dove;
And I don't need the flower that withers in your hair,
I want you to forget me, to leave me sad and bare.
What is the point to foster the bad luck and to strive
Instead of let it dwindle and never to revive?
When even a small river new torrents will receive
Why should we stay for ever in pain and always grieve?
Because it's our lot to float on life's big stream
As if we were a shadow, as if we were a dream.
From now on why to bother to worry about me?
Why should you keep a record of things that ceased to be?
I don't care if I die and leave the world behind
I want to disappear from everybody's mind
And let you live in peace and to forget my face.
But, love, if you remember my soft and warm embrace,
I curse the dark, dense shadow in which I died upset
I wish that you and I had never ever met
To taste the thrill and bliss, to feel each other's touch
Can you forgive me, darling, for loving you so much?
Now turn your face and leave me to live among strange guys
To feel the cold that freezes the pupils of my eyes,
And when the earth goes back again into the earth
Who will remeber then my name, my life, my worth?
All kinds of wailing songs will mournfully request
That I may enter quickly into eternal rest;
Yet, I would like somone, when everybody sighs,
To come and put your name upon my frozen eyes,
Then, even if they want to throw my corpse away
I'm sure I'd feel much better than how I feel today.
A flock of ravens maybe will darken the high skies
Just like the death will shadow and blind my wretched eyes,
Then, suddenly, a storm will break out of the blue,
My flesh will turn to dust, my sad heart will rot, too...
But you, be glad and blossom like flowers do in spring,
With your big, humid eyes, with lips that smile and sing
And though you are a child, grow younger without shame
Forget about me, darling, for I shall do the same.
poem by Mihai Eminescu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
Submitted by Octavian Cocoş
Vote! | Copy!
Veil of Death
Death for believers is but a veil, for through Christ we will prevail,
For we may die upon this earth, but live the promise of new birth.
After this life and much travail, we slip through a mysterious veil,
Into the presence of God’s Throne, through no efforts of our own.
For a brief moment we may sleep, but as we awake we will reap,
Reap from God an Eternal Life, and all due to the work of Christ.
When we sleep in Christ we wake; because He died for our sake.
Though Christ died now He lives, and Eternal Life to us He gives.
Death although it may come, has been swallowed up by The Son,
Through His victory on the cross, where Christ died for all the lost.
Now not only have we been found, but in Him new life will abound,
A life that starts upon this earth, when we experience a New Birth.
Life may begin here my friend, but a new life in Christ has no end,
As we enter what seems as death, we breathe in Heaven’s breath.
We’ll leave behind all that’s frail, as we briefly slip through the veil,
As we enter into God’s Paradise, to live forever with Jesus Christ.
We’ll leave the bodies that have died, and get new bodies glorified,
We will live an eternity with Him, in God’s Paradise that has no sin,
This could be the reason why; precious is the death, in God’s eyes,
Of all the saints He calls His own, as they enter their Eternal Home.
(Copyright ©05/2006)
One By One
One by one we bite the dust.
We leave the wanting.
We leave the lust.
Bigger than life we thought we were.
We just forgot
that we are not.
We breathed the air and drank it in,
inhaled the pure,
inhaled the sin.
One by one we say goodbye.
We leave the craving.
We leave the sigh.
Surely where we go from here
will take us home,
will stop the roam.
One by one we stop the breath.
We find the peace.
We welcome death.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Unfortunate
Fold her hands upon her breast,
And let her sweetly sleep.
She has found a perfect rest,
Beneath her winding sheet.
Her weary limbs are now at rest,
And free from toil and pain;
Her weary soul from earth has left,
But in Heaven lives again.
Death has closed her mild blue eyes,
That once was full of mirth,
Her lovely form once full of life,
Will now return to earth.
Touch her gently, let her lie,
This forsaken girl forlorn;
Tears may fall from strangers' eyes,
O'er her silent form.
She was a poor erring girl,
A wanderer alone,
Friends she had none in this world,
Nor a place she could call home.
She's found a home bright and fair
In that world above,
Angels dwell together there,
In perfect peace and love,
Place her gently in her grave,
And let her sweetly sleep.
Judge her not; for he who gave
Her life, her soul will keep.
poem by Julia A Moore
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Heart Lying In Defeat
The irony of this thought will fade
And you won’t even be able to look me in the face
I know what you did
And that night I found what you hid
You said it was only a one time thing
So I sat there and watched her leave
You promised it was okay
But, I had to watch her leave more than just that day
Her body always fair and supple
But, you swore I was better
I took those words and hung on to them forever
They made my pain fade
That was with what you paid
But, my tears burned and it was such a deep pain
My soul now tattered and my heart now bled dry
You took this to far all you did was lie
I wanted it to work but, you let it die
I wanted you more but, you wouldn’t try
Our love gave me a natural high
But, what we were meant for was sin
I don’t try to compete with your ways you’re too sly
And every night those tears helped me get by
And every day those looks from you will make me last through the hour
But, the time will come when I won’t fake it
My anger will shine through
And the truth of how you hurt me will lay naked
And this irony of this thought will be a bold red
The color of all the blood my heart has shed
This is what we get when ignore lies
This how I deal with the death of our perfect life
This is what will come when you cheat
A perfect heart lying defeat
poem by Victoria Martinez
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
When I Die
When I die I want my ashes scattered in the sky.
I want the winds to take me to the four corners
Of the earth, letting people know of my life
Of my birth, and all that I done that had some worth.
I want to feel the winds beneath my feet
The gentle breeze upon my face
The sun radiating the heat and its glory
For my family and friends to tell my story
When I die I don’t want tears
I’m going to a better place which
I’ve known for years.
I’ve seen this place in my dreams
And in my mind, and I know that I’ll be fine.
Death is just another door in time
That will free our soul and mind
And we’ll live throughout all time.
So when I die, don’t mourn for me
For I am finally free.
If on occasion you happen to remember me
It’s because in my prayers you will be.
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!