“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.”                                – Psalm 39:4-5

“But a Breath”

Oh, those days of youth, that childhood mine,

No watches, no schedules, no checking the time.

A meander, a frolic, afternoons stretch a mile,

Surely hours of play; no, ‘twas just a short while.

Seventh grade, eighth, still young and growing,

A clock on the wall, must I get going?

Still plenty of time, a deep reservoir of breath.

An endless horizon, so many years left.

Don the gown, toss the cap, then do so again,

A glance at my gal, is she more than a friend?

Time rushes on, a watch claims my wrist,

Bosses and pressures, “to do” headlines my list.

Tears flood my cheeks, loved ones laid to rest,

They warned life is short, once thought that was jest.

Happier moments too, our nest graced with a son,

Then another one joins him, yes, parents we’ve become.

But you never see the culprit, it all happens so fast,

Leave the pedal unguarded, time steps on the gas.

The thirties rush by, the forties even quicker,

I’d argue too fast, but I’m not one to bicker.

The nest soon empties, must be some kind of trick,

The clock simply smiles, and whispers… tick, tick, tick.

Still much left to do, “bucket” headlines my list,

Ample time remains, I defiantly pound my fist.

Oh, but time rushes on, the years start to show.

More wrinkles, more pounds, no longer a sprite beau.

The memories pile up, next to a regret or two,

The realization comes, our years here so few.

I get it now, friends, how fleeting my life,

Still blessed by a Savior, and a beautiful wife.

Won’t run out the clock, still much left to do,

A poem still to write, this message for you.

Cherish each moment, till your final date with death,

The psalmist was right, each man’s life, but a breath.