Remembered
By John Herlihy

How will I later be remembered,
When my life has surrendered?
Our true legacy may not say it all;
Our life’s work may not enthrall.
Even when alive, who took notice?
My life as poem my magnum opus.
Everything in nature makes request;
All our lives we are put to the test.

The seasons always have their say,
As they dutifully make their way.
Winter mocks life with living death,
The chill as white a winter breath.
Spring will arrive with the crocus,
As budding hope comes into focus.
We remember seasons as they are,
Mercifully, they leave no lasting scar.

Much of me lies between the lines;
Secrets may be entangled in vines.
To live as if one didn’t really care,
To pass thru without any fanfare.
A question that gives little repose,
I will never know, I only suppose.
When my life has alas surrendered,
Not how - but if - I am remembered.