Echoes of Dawn at Dusk: Collected Poems (Volume 2)

Fading to Black

This poem is about the introspection that I believe comes to most of us in late middle age when the winter of our lives approaches. It has been a preoccupation of mine from an early age, however, as even my earliest poetry and fiction written while still in my teens I think very clearly show. Mistakes, roads not taken, unwise relationships, lapses in judgment and similar issues aside, this simple poem deals with as issue that should concern us all: has our life made enough of a difference? In the final analysis, will our virtues, works, and compassion for others outweigh our sins of both commission and omission? Do we leave the world even a little better for the privilege of passing through it, or have we lived a life empty of value? The world may have a clear opinion on these issues about us, but it matters much, much more what we ourselves think when we look in the mirror with no one around and struggle to find an honest answer untainted by self-delusion.