One Year to Live ~ There is a threshold Held in thought Walls in place of bridges Solid as iron . . . yet soft as a child's finger A bridge of life between yours and mine But if given a year to live What would change? ~ I'd look upon the rising sun each morning Watch as it slowly moves to the west My leaking roof would not be fixed And the silent force that pushed me Would turn to calm The summer currents of my river would slow And gently bank each curve of green ~ I would smile at the angry faces Scatter my seeds of kindness And not think of the days they rotted in shade I would work easier but not less And never turn away from a friend No demands would be placed upon you Or anyone ~ I would see more children passing by And listen to the baby cry The gentle rustling of leaves I would hear And the swallow nesting on the eaves Never an enemy to forgive Nor father to defer And mother would be better I'd be sure to comfort her ~ My past would owe me nothing Praise would not be a quiet thing But more gracious to sing Face to face with trouble . . . I'd still go first Tomorrow would most certainly Be another day for sure ~ When things go wrong As they sometimes will I would look back to all my troubled years And worry would be a distant hill The silence and secrets I'd kept for years Would leave the closet of all my fears ~ Just one year left to live What can I give? My love My understanding My children My friendship My life ~ No more would I ask Because I would be rich! Newborn days and hope I would kiss Content would be silence Silence would be love And silence we know is golden