Leaving Hell

I must have remembered
or did I awaken?
To a simple truth
that has left me shaken

There are great moments
in the life I have dared
So much I took for granted
while I slept unaware

Only the love that binds its core
and the threads we’ve all sewn
Could ever matter more to me
had I only known

My heart beats through it
my body knows its pain
While my eyes are witness
to what I look back on in shame

Foolishly I wasted it
and filled it with distractions
I should have paid attention
tried harder, took more action
My gray hair and lined skin
reflect the time thats passed
My grown children and grandchildren
left and change so fast

I gave away my years for things
addictions, and to thieves
And now that I am aware
it’s incredible to believe

The thoughts in my mind are fearful
impacting the way I behave
Dictating how my life is spent
leaving behind in time my wave

I will experience my moments differently
now that I understand
Make more of my memories
be more willing to lend a hand

I will give less of me
to those that try to take
Give more to myself instead
and what feels good to create


I will work for happiness
not for things that hold no meaning
Fill my life with all I can
doing the things I’ve been dreaming

My time is my gift in life
to receive and to share
How did I forget this
it seems unjust and unfair

I lost my way somehow
I know others have as well
Maybe now I’ll live a life
that doesn’t feel so much like hell


Copyrighted, 2015 by Iva Marie