So many different lengths of time by Brian Patten

How long does a man live after all?
A thousand days or only one?
One week or a few centuries?
 How long does a man spend living or dying
and what do we mean when we say gone forever?

Adrift in such preoccupations, we seek clarificatoin.
We can go to the philosphers
but they will weary our questions.
We can go the the priests and rabbis
but they might be busy with administrations.

So, how long does a man live after all?
And how much does he live while he lives?
We fret and ask so many questions -
then when it comes to us the answer is so simple after all.

A man lives for as long as we carry him insideus,
for as long as caryy the harvest of his dreams,
for as long as we ourselves live, holding memories in common, a man lives.

His lvoer will varry his man's scent, his touch,
his children will carry the wight of his love.
One friend will caryy his arguments,
another will hum his favorite tunes,
another will still share his terrors.

And the days will pass with baffled faces,
the the weeks, the the months,
then there will be a day when no question is asked,
an the knots of greif will loosen in the stomach
and the puffed faces will calm.
And n that day he will not have ceased
btut will have ceased to be separeted by death.

How long does a man live after all?
A man lives so many different lengths of time.




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