I Have Outlived Them

I have outlived my youth

Dreams of career and accomplishment

The reality of a plodding job

Co-workers and peers standing side-by-side in the trenches

Transitory colleagues who gave their efforts for naught

More dedicated and self-sacrificing than I

I have outlived young love

Thrill of first trembling kiss

The tedium of attraction waning

Lovers and companions in repeating, spiraling, downward cycles

Old flames become friends become bitter enemies

More satisfied and happier than I

I have outlived the social construct

The mass of humanity moving past me

The unseeing eyes, the unspoken truths

Friends and family who left before I was ready, before their time

Acquaintances who exist as mere strangers in a room

More connected and embraced than I

I have outlived them all

Past, present and future receding behind me

The finish line reached

No light to guide my unchartered path into what lies ahead

Only cold darkness to chill my eternal slumber

I have outlived them all

But shall not outlive

Death

By Mike Turner

From: United States

Website: http://www.MikeTurnerSongwriter.com

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