What Legacy Will We Leave Behind? Poem by Denis Martindale

We know that writers can transform their characters
from zeros to heroes, but not always themselves.
When I write nice little poems, it's because
I enjoy them and want others to enjoy them.
The talent, gift or boon each writer receives is one thing.
The hard graft is ours, to put aside the negatives,
to reach beyond ourselves, all the past mistakes,
sorrows, trained and restrained thoughts and get busy...

I didn't write hundreds of poems without honesty,
but I chose to write the ideas, not always the truths.
I've written about butterflies as well as vampires.
I believe we can stretch our writing muscles...
The first problem is obvious, to those that become aware...
We let ourselves continue to write negatively,
yet we can change, we can think it through...
we can make a stand, stop ourselves continuing.

We can ask ourselves, where's the profit in the negatives?
No use thinking of eloquent poisonous paragraphs.
Oscar Wilde was clever, but how could he then be nice?
His witty ideas were his genius, but not his best friend.
The world is full of nice poems, but ours will always be ours.
What legacy will we leave behind when we've gone?
What comfort did we pass on before we passed on?

What could God tell us of what we have written so far,
Enough to say that He was truly proud of something?
Was He ever asked to spare some insight, some joy?
Was He ever asked about our measure of truth?
Was He ever asked to lighten our load along the way?
But even now, even at this late stage, this very day,
I can say, with God's help... It's not too late to change...


Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2013.