One Has Done All That One Could Do Poem by Shalom Freedman

ONE HAS DONE ALL THAT ONE COULD DO

One has done all that one could do
Old and tired
With nothing to look forward to
Empty inside with nothing to say
Years ahead that must somehow be passed
The possibility of total despair
Of breakdown and loss of self completely

In this knowledge of hopelessness nonetheless
The need to sustain oneself and one’s mood
The need to not fall apart
And become a burden on those one loves
The need to keep up a life
That has pleasure in it
A life which does not simply cry all the time
The need to create a kind of happiness for oneself
However small artificial and conciliatory
Just for the others
The ones one does not wish to be a burden to.