Can a creature live too long on earth?
What is earth but the dirt we’re made of?
Is it to be counted so dear then
That gnarled fingers
Won’t be persuaded
To loose their grip?
Solid forms of life’s familiar things
Tempt us to lose sight of worlds unseen,
Darkening our eyes by long shadows,
Slowing progress
Because of failure
To see ahead.
Earth-bound stuff is not without its charm;
In dark matter a faint light appears.
(Small imaginations shrink from more.)
Without earth’s stuff,
We would not know of
Eternity.
But it is still dust, clay, ash– all dirt
Made dirtier by falling in it.
Why, then, are we loath to let it go?
When time expires,
With expectancy
Let me let go.
When I’ve done all I was meant to do,
Please don’t be the faithless prophet,
Turning me from my appointed way
By long pleading
To tarry longer.
Let me go home.
Can a life be too short on this earth?
Only if it does not reach to God.
Could such even truly be called “life”?
Life, be not proud;
God will consume you
In greater Life.
by Teri Ong March 2014
Photos by Alice Wishart
