When You Realise Your Mortality

~ Frank Solanki

When we realise that we
Have little time left on this planet
We drop whatever we were doing
And begin to do the things
That mean the most to us

We take up old hobbies
We dig up buried passions
We unlock the hidden dreams
We start living

But we always knew that life is brief
That our hearts beat for nothing more
Than a cameo
In this supposedly eternal cycle

From adolescence
We are aware of Death
And her ghastly inescapable odour
Yet we go on breathing as if
We are going to be here forever
We take minutes and hours for granted
Days go by
Years pass us
And none of that time is utilised
In doing what makes us happy

When the health breaks down
When coughing becomes second nature
When aches and sprains are allowed to reside in your body rent-free
That’s when we understand life’s worth
But usually it is too late by then
The vitality has faded
The lungs are clogged
The heart pumps inefficiently

Our illusion of youth shatters
Our veins map our history on our skins
Our throat is full of regrets

That is why I wrote this poem
To remind myself of my mortality
To remind myself that I could live differently
That I could be happier and healthier
If I took a little time out every day
To live
I would feel alive

I am going to print this poem
Make multiple copies of it
And pin it everywhere around the house
If it helps me save even a minute of my life
Then this poem has done its job

That is why I published this poem here
To remind you that Death
Is probably around the corner
Waiting to strike you with her cold hands
No, don’t be scared
It’s okay to feel grim at first
It’s okay if you hate me for it
It’s okay
It really is
Use that energy to climb out of the dark cave
And step into the light
You will be blinded at first
But soon you will begin to see the beauty
Dazzling at every blink; so
Break the shackles of your soul
And live

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Published by Frank Solanki

Making the world a better place one poem at a time.

54 thoughts on “When You Realise Your Mortality”

                  1. No I can’t guess 😕 I am a teacher and a writer 😁😁😁 not decetive 😄😄😳😳😳 you tell me and I don’t like suspense😊😕😕 😂😂😁😄😀😀

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                    2. Oh !🫢🫢🫢 Good 👍 enjoy 😃😁😁😁😁 say her have a good day from me 😻😻 and tell her to test writing.😁😃😃😄😄

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  7. It was in the wisdom of Solomon that speaks, “think often of death.” Or as Gandalf says in The Return of the King, “death is just another door one must pass through.”

    If you look to The Holy Cross, you will find more wisdom than both of these. Jesus wants us not only to face death, to ponder death; but more. To embrace death; to claim it for ourselves. For in death unified to his upon The Holy Cross, we find life everlasting.

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  9. This is beautifully, profoundly written. I gave birth to my first child 3 months ago. Watching him grow so quickly has really driven home the fact that time passes in a flash and we can’t slow it down! He has helped me realize that I need to use time wisely, fill it full, so that I don’t regret wasted years when I am older.

    Your poem reminded me of Ecclesiastes 11:9:” Rejoice, O young man, in the days of your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth…” We only have today, we aren’t promised tomorrow, and we should fill today with life and joy while we have it.

    Thank you for sharing this poem with us. You have kickstarted my day.

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  11. Wow! This is so well said. My wake-up reminder came in 2012-13 while fighting cancer. I am grateful to still be here, and even though I may slip up a little at times, I look forward to waking and living each day.

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  22. Great poem, Frank. One of Jackson Browne’s lyrics come to mind with respect to this rushed drive to change our ways

    And while the future’s there
    For anyone to change
    Still you know it seems
    It would be easier
    Sometimes
    To change the past
    ~ Fountain of Sorrow

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