Poetry Archive

When Eternity Begins

The statues of the great
Adorn the public square
They roared as lions from this lair
Soared like eagles over their estate
Where are they now?

It is easy to die quickly
In warfighting for the right
Slow decay is the worse plight
Bodies fade into mist grown thickly
Forgotten and little missed

Incontinence, impotence, immobility
Is the nightmare vision
Sitting before a television
Silent and alone with rowed senility
One by one the seats are emptied

I always wanted to die in a big explosion
To leave massive footprints
On the world's story my imprints
Will I instead face slow corrosion?
Out of sight and out of memory

As a wise man once said
The race is not to the swift
Nor life's measure how much you lift
Suddenly or slowly we all end dead
But should we fear the grave?

Our Saviour has conquered death
He rose to claim his glory
So with Him begins our story
As we greet Him with our final breath
I trust eternity begins