I Had Joy In Me To The End Poem by Shalom Freedman

Life has beaten me back
And failure has gotten me down
And poverty hurts
And I old enough to be too old
And so much seems fading and dying and lost
And yet
My own indomitable will
Laughs at itself
And courage comes from somewhere in me
I do not really know or control
I go on like this writing and fighting
And I hope I will go down
With all those around me feeling
I had joy in me to the end
And wasn't beaten and wasn't lost
But had a good life.