I have existed for nineteen years
I’ll be twenty soon
I checked, and the average human
lives to seventy-two
Assuming that age for me is true,
I have already done a fourth
of everything I will ever do

Someone once said a poet
always has thoughts of death encroaching
And whether or not we know it
that raven is always approaching

I don’t believe I fear dying
I fear leaving this world without trying

Trying to learn from my shortcomings
Trying to gain spiritual wealth
Trying to find out where I’ve been running
Trying to honor to my younger self

I want to find the meaning of bliss
I want to unlock my innermost thoughts
I want to lay eyes on all that exists
I want to create all that does not

If the first quarter of my life
has come to an end
then I beg to know

Was my searching and strife
my mistakes and amends
a good chapter
in this beautiful show?

And if I have said
twenty five percent
of all the words I will ever say

May all that you’ve read
my claims and dissents
leave an impact
long after this day

Impermanence surrounds us
We see it in the winter
We see it as paint peels,
glass breaks, and wood splinters
Everything runs out, like ink in a printer
How come this notion never inspires
only hinders?

For if we embrace
that our time is limited
Maybe then we’ll ensure
our growth is imminent
Maybe then we’ll voice
those unspoken sentiments
Spill out our hearts
and leave no remnants

Maybe we’ll argue
pointless points
a little less
And say I love you
to loved ones
a little more

Maybe we’ll risk
that heartbreak
in our chest
For the chance
to turn a whimper
into a roar

Words feel infinite
They feel like a resource we cannot exhaust
We can speak as much as we please
therefore words are carelessly tossed
as if they are free of cost
But they’re as finite as our seasons
They go by, and then they’re lost

So may my words ring true like a bell
I urge you to use your own words well
I urge you to keep that raven in mind
Not as a means of fear, but a beacon to be kind
I know it’s cliche, and I’m not the first to say
But be good to those you love while they’re here today
Because I wish I had said a few more kind words
To a few kind people taken by that bird