Where Does A Poem Begin? Poem by Shalom Freedman

WHAT DOES A POEM MEAN?

Where does a poem begin
And where does a life end
And what does it all mean?

The life the poem who and what we are
The stars will go on until they burn out and die in a time we will never see
The earth itself will go until it dies in the heat given by a dying sun.

All things lovely and beautiful
Grass and trees and lilacs and cities of love and people who care for each other
All good and great things-

Greater poems by far than this will forever not be
And music that makes the heart and mind more sublime.

All is vanity of vanity says the preacher.
Though not because it all returns to what it was
And repeats without end what it will continue to be
But because once and only once
Even our Universe will die.

Oh time oh life oh love oh peace
Oh words that try to mean
And cannot stay more than our own small instant of hearing and fearing
Death is our name
Death death death.

God forgive me
Only You can save us.