An Existential Fact Poem by Barry Middleton

My parents brought me to the earth,
but I will leave this world alone.
I vanish into emptiness.
Though there are some who stand by me,
still none may walk beside me here,
as I reach out to destiny.
This is the existential fact:
no spirit asks to live or die.
We come to join a family.
We leave to join infinity.
This is the elemental tract:
from dust we spring to grace the earth,
to dust we fall, for we must die.
And in between, we leave our mark
like footprints on the timeless sand.
They linger but a little while.
The tide rolls in and footprints fade.
tomorrows rest with yesterdays.
There is no friend to guide our way,
and no one knows the journey's end.
This is the road we walk alone.
Perhaps it leads not anywhere.
Perhaps it is the path to home.