Some Little Thoughts

And, in the evening, when I lie upon my bed,
The sun, having surrendered the light of day,
I ponder of the sins I know I committed,
During my youth, now, having flittered away. 

Why did I do those things of days of yore?
Why did I not refuse to act in such a way?
Why did I not recall those lessons, taught by my betters?
Why did I do those deeds that I so regret today? 

Is there a man who, honestly, can say:
‘I am without sin, today, or during yesteryear;
‘I lived a blameless life, I am proud to proclaim,
‘But, if I had stumbled, I ask forgiveness from all peer.’ 

Does such a man exist, one who can make
Such a promulgation? Is there a man, truly without blame,
A man, who in years gone by, walked upon this earth?
If so, let him come forward: I must know his name! 

We all did wrong when the hot sap of youth
Was plentiful and strong, but hair thins
And leaves, now, fall upon the waiting sod.
Silence haunts us: They are ghosts of yesterday’s sins.

I cannot back the clock: Time travels
But one way, only: What’s done, never can be effaced.
Annals written, all may view:
Not a single millisecond may be erased. 

What kindnesses may one now perform
To rectify yesterday’s sinful deeds,
Perpetrated by me, now, an aged man?
Can a garden be created sans weeds?   

If such a garden may be produced,
Ground preparations must be made apace;
Time is short for death awaits us, all.
Flowers will blossom only if one wins the race. 

The shared fish has no bones:
Equality nullifies friction of what is mine and thine.
It is a lesson, sadly learned in retrospect,
But it is a lesson, sublime. 

Virtue brings peace of mind;
Crime brings the dread of fear.
One must not look to others’ opinions,
One’s conscience should stand pure and dear. 

Deeds of days gone by … fading visions,
Woefully recalled: Deeds small; deeds great.
Eternal sleep comes to claim its due:
The time is nigh: Never early; never late. 

Know it to all that, when I took my first step,
I could not envisage my duty as a man, and of the price
That I must pay. It may be too late to shed tears of sorrow,
But, hopefully, perhaps these few words will suffice? 

And so, goodbye! I traverse to eternal peace.
Must needs go I, never to return.
I float on air, carried to that unknown world.
Gliding, ever upward: My final stop? Another sojourn?