Ready To Go Poem by John Carter Brown

As I sit by the hearth
At the close of the day
And ponder my life, as it's been,
I slowly recall, in my misty minds-eye
All the things that I've done and have seen.

Newborn, I would gaze
With an innocent eye
On the world, then I started to yell,
My book, with it's pages all empty and white
Awaiting my story to tell.

And soon I'm a boy
Doing what all boys do,
And more, I'm embarrassed to say,
My parents, at times, would be at their wits end
If I said that I'm off out to play.

Now I'm in my teens
With the hormones in flux,
And not knowing how to proceed,
A dangerous time, and I made my mistakes,
I was foolish, it's true, I concede.

With school quickly over
And time to grow up
I'm obliged to be paying my way,
But it's hard to let go of your freedom,
And to slog in the mill every day.

Then soon love has caught me
In it's wonderful way,
I marry and settle right down,
But life has a way of destroying your dreams,
And painting you up as a clown.

It's over - so sad
But life carries on,
I still have my boys, and I'm sane,
Then from round the corner appears a new love,
I'm happy, and starting again.

Now it's been quite a while
Since I met her,
More than twenty odd years have rolled by,
She knows me so well - I adore her, and
Together we'll be 'til we die.

I just hope, as I slide towards heaven,
And I disappear into the glow,
When that monster called death
Comes to burgle my breath
I just hope I'll be ready to go.

(Written Oct 2013)