You Think, Perhaps, that You Will Live Forever

Music: Voluntarie
By William Byrd. Performed by John Sankey.

Alpha List Poems to Children Teen Poems Contents Home Copyright by Nicholas Gordon

You think, perhaps, that you will live forever, For death, still out of sight, is out of mind. Or pain, perhaps, is destined for another, And anything that's broken soon will mend. You seek the ecstasy in every moment, Not caring what the consequence may be, Yearning for the black, tormented torrent That twists beneath the border of your day. You plunge and plunge again, and still don't drown, Belying all the warnings that you've heard. Joy fills you to the marrow of your bones, And all but what you hunger for seems dead. But all things have a price, as you will learn Too late, when life presents you with the bill; And you will die too early, or in pain Live on with wounds that never wholly heal. Oh, children full of passion and desire, Unwilling to mature before you choose! Remember there is wisdom in your fear, And reason to think well what you may lose.