In search of fame and glory
People try to say the words
Which forever etch their names in time
And keep their voices heard.

They hope, before their dying breath,
A phrase they use will stand
To serve as inspiration
To a dark and dying land.

But in their hastiness they say
A phrase without a thought,
For which they are remembered,
Though they'd rather they were not.

So every moment of your life,
Be careful what you say.
'cause once those words escape your lips,
You can't take them away.

Copyright © 1997 by Randal A. Burd, Jr.

Publications: St. Augustine, FL: The Candlelight Poetry Journal, Fall 1997

Author's Note: Poems viewed here are the latest versions and are not necessarily word-for-word as published.