Till Man Breathes His Last Poem by Nicanor P. Tiosen

They say life is a box of surprises.
Surely, it's more than that.
Anyone may rightly guess what's in a box -
in life, no one knows what next is up.

Some say a life well-lived is a bed of roses -
a spread of pink, of white, and red;
But roses are not just made of petals,
thorns abound that make palms bleed.

Yes, the young adore chocolate,
candy bars, cakes and ice cream, too.
As they grow older, they come to learn
some nice and sweet things come and go.

Chasing rainbows, picking shells,
building castles in the sand -
while they last, oh! they're fun -
hearts do ache, when they're gone.

There is more to life indeed,
one can count on that.
Man must keep on going though,
till he breathes his last.