Distance Requires Persistence Poem by Denis Martindale

Before the years of sickness spread,
Before the years of awesome dread,
Before the years at home instead,
I kept my distance then.
Before the years at school to stay,
Before the years I worked each day,
Before the years I learned to pray,
I kept my distance then.

I used to have my hopes and dreams,
And as a poet, I wrote reams,
But life itself had its own schemes,
To keep me still apart.
A sudden change of mood took hold,
A sudden surge of love grew cold,
And here I stand, hair grey and old,
Without love in my heart.

And yet towards the end of life,
Avoiding love, avoiding strife,
I live alone without a wife,
Like some unmarried men.
And yet in dreams some girls appear,
Ah, yes, in dreams, some girls draw near,
Yet when I wake, my heart stays clear,
Like some unmarried men.

So, pardon me, if distanced now,
Alone to pay my bills somehow,
Though distanced, here's my solemn vow,
Alone until life's end.
Though poverty has kept me poor,
And always in the need for more,
It's now I learn the final score,
That God's my only friend.


Denis Martindale, for the 28th of December,2023.