I am honored to be using in this piece a form developed by E.W. Richardson, named 'Soliloquy'. I do hope you enjoy.

Within the Dashes
(Soliloquy)

When time has lowered its curtain
And our farewells must come to pass,
When dates surround the dashes.....alas..
Do we rejoice or tally regrets?

Have we loved as we knew we should
Or did we hoard, become a miser,
Unwilling to freely give, thought it wiser
To hold love ransom for sure return?

Did we leave any thoughts unspoken,
Melodies forgotten.... lost in our haste
To cheat time did we not see the waste
Of moments gone by without notice?

Have we made a difference, touched lives,
Perhaps changed one along our way?
Do we leave the world a better place
For our time spent in the dashes?

The fall of life's curtain
Must not be hinged with regrets.
Rejoice, celebrate our days.. this should
Be our reward...our return.
And if there were words unspoken
Or moments we failed to notice,
May they be few and may our lives
Be remembered for living within the dashes.


© April 2006