THE DASH

My anxious parents,
Filled with excitement
With my arrival
Just a week before
Christmas and the page
Flipped to the new year.

From my first smile
In my infancy,
To my first few steps
As a new toddler,
And each milestone
Falling in between.

Then I took my first
Separation steps,
I started preschool,
Then before their eyes,
I was in high school,
With many new firsts.

My parents waving,
Said my sad farewells,
With excitement tears,
I started college,
And was all grown up,
Starting my career.

Over the next years,
I never married,
Bought a house nearby,
Took time to travel,
Seen my income rise,
As did my career.

Over the same years,
I lost my father,
Many years later
I lost my mother,
Leaving me alone,
But for my close friends.

Watching today’s kids,
Finding their own way
In a complex world,
Much like I did too,
Many years ago,
But now it’s their turn.

No longer climbing,
And grasping each rung,
As I descend down
From the pinnacle
Of my passion and
My lengthy career.

No more early days
Or the late evenings,
As I lived my dream,
I left my footprint
For generations
To chase their journey.

Retired early,
I am an old man,
Living my life with
Peace and no regrets,
Time just escaping
My hands so quickly.

Little by little,
My health escapes me,
Every time I move,
I hear creaks and squeaks,
Feel new aches and pains,
Until now unknown.

My mind, not as sharp,
Fails to remember
What happened just now,
Yet easily recalls
The past memories
As if yesterday.

With each passing year,
My life’s legacy
Fades into pitch dark.
For I’ve finished life,
With all my goals done,
The ring, now complete.

People from my life,
Stop by, shed a tear,
Say final goodbyes,
Offer condolences
To my remaining
Close friends and colleagues.

From my earthly life,
I left behind my
Physical body,
In a black casket,
Polished brass handles
And a shiny trim.

My simple headstone,
No words, just my name,
My birth date first, then
The date of my death,
Linked by a small dash,
Between the two years.

From my earthly life,
I left behind my
Physical body
And a simple dash
Personifying
My entire life.