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Deathright
by JJ JohnsonI live in fear of the future
Because soon enough I won’t be in it
Alone in life is only one step away from nothing
Will anyone notice when I am gone?
Will anyone miss the look in my eyes?
When ears can no longer hear the sound of my voice
And my words reach out in silence from the pages of books unopened
Is there anyone there to care or remember my heart?
Or will I be as forgotten as the children I never had?
My DNA will die with me
No one longs to pass on
The debt of life to generations alive in my imagination
If only, if only, if only
But the echo of only is distorted into lonely
While no gravestone marks a plot of land
To speak my name to passersby of when I was alive
Just pages in two books of poetry
That cry-out to the eyes
Of curious minds who stumble
Across a few dozen copies left lying around
Discarded by some, shelved by others
Perhaps a hundred years from now, someone will find one
Maybe my words will be read again in the future
That I fear because I will not be there
And no one will care
JJ
07/28/2013 Posted on 07/28/2013
Copyright © 2025 JJ Johnson
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 07/28/13 at 09:01 AM this is an absolutely beautiful poem, J.J. it renders the heart sad and lonely to read and profoundly so because it is as close to hitting home as words will ever be permitted to. |
| Posted by Rhiannon Jones on 07/28/13 at 01:22 PM Rippingly gapingly beautiful. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 07/28/13 at 04:06 PM And yet you are here now and your words move me now. "But the echo of only is distorted into lonely" - love this line, especially the use of "distorted" as it leaves the door open to reforming an opinion. |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 07/31/13 at 02:55 PM Deep, dark, and absolutely stunning. I was floored both times I read this. |
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