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Even The Best Of Us
Even the best of us lose our friends
Even the best of us have felt the cold
Even the best of us meet dead ends
Even the best of us fear growing old
Though some of us will reach out for love
And drink down the potion that fills our cup
Still others fail to once rise above
But the rest of us will never give up
When those like us become discouraged
There's no time to wish on a four leaf clover
Through our pain filled lives we have managed
To climb the walls others can't get over
One day age may take away our sight
But the best of us won't ever be blind
For when the shade's pulled over the light
The brightest spirits continue to shine
Time takes a toll on the lot of us
Our faces sagging as the years pass by
One dawning not too far ahead of us
From our body and life our spirit will fly
Sometimes even the strong give up hope
When living and life fall way out of tune
And even wish the end would come soon
When nature's course becomes a declining slope
Friends come and go but life rolls along
The best of friends stay around till the end
This is one time I wish I was wrong
For his finish line's just around the bend
When darkness comes and hope nears the end
As life escapes with his final breath
I will have lost my very best friend
And my heart will cry because of his death
If any dog can be "man's best friend"
Then Max was more of a little brother
Anything less and my heart would mend
And I'd be able to find another
Even the best of us question why
Even the best of us sit down and cry
Even the best of us wish we could fly
Even the best of us lay down and die
*(03/21/1983)
Copyright © 2004 JJ Johnson
US Copyright Office Registration: TXu1-162-978
Even the best of us have felt the cold
Even the best of us meet dead ends
Even the best of us fear growing old
Though some of us will reach out for love
And drink down the potion that fills our cup
Still others fail to once rise above
But the rest of us will never give up
When those like us become discouraged
There's no time to wish on a four leaf clover
Through our pain filled lives we have managed
To climb the walls others can't get over
One day age may take away our sight
But the best of us won't ever be blind
For when the shade's pulled over the light
The brightest spirits continue to shine
Time takes a toll on the lot of us
Our faces sagging as the years pass by
One dawning not too far ahead of us
From our body and life our spirit will fly
Sometimes even the strong give up hope
When living and life fall way out of tune
And even wish the end would come soon
When nature's course becomes a declining slope
Friends come and go but life rolls along
The best of friends stay around till the end
This is one time I wish I was wrong
For his finish line's just around the bend
When darkness comes and hope nears the end
As life escapes with his final breath
I will have lost my very best friend
And my heart will cry because of his death
If any dog can be "man's best friend"
Then Max was more of a little brother
Anything less and my heart would mend
And I'd be able to find another
Even the best of us question why
Even the best of us sit down and cry
Even the best of us wish we could fly
Even the best of us lay down and die
*(03/21/1983)
Copyright © 2004 JJ Johnson
US Copyright Office Registration: TXu1-162-978
Published 20th Sep 2011
| Edited 19th Oct 2011
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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30th Sep 2011 2:42am
30th Sep 2011 3:29am
Thanks Indie. This was originally two different poems. The 3 stanzas before the last stanza were for my dog Max and the rest was about my Grandmother. That may be an odd combination, but I was having trouble dealing with both of their approaching deaths. I didn't feel I could finish either poem and I never have been able to come to terms with death. I felt that putting the two together elevated both of them and my love for them is greater than any others in my life, even to this day. Max was there for me when no one else was. He always knew when I was feeling down and always knew just how to lift my spirits.
My Grandmother Johnson was so wonderful, not just to me, to everyone. Alzheimers robbed her of her memories of her family and herself. Seeing her confusion and her health disappear into fear was devistating.
When death becomes the preferred alternative to living without dignity, it causes pain and doubt in everyone touched by the reality of the suffering. jj
My Grandmother Johnson was so wonderful, not just to me, to everyone. Alzheimers robbed her of her memories of her family and herself. Seeing her confusion and her health disappear into fear was devistating.
When death becomes the preferred alternative to living without dignity, it causes pain and doubt in everyone touched by the reality of the suffering. jj
30th Sep 2011 11:01am
