CARPE DIEM


I have learned each day is different,
saddled, as it is, with fragments
of reminiscences and long
forgotten snippets of sad songs;  

or, a winged platform, that pauses
at every man's doorstep for his 
turn to punch the mark on his forehead,
that says, he stood and was counted.

And as no two days are alike,
each match that you hold out to strike,
is set to ignite a new fire,
to light the way to what you'll acquire.

I've learned, as each day is different,
there's urgency in the moment.
And though there may be tomorrow,
the question is: How do we know?

 

Modeste Downes is a Saint Lucian poet, proofreader and book reviewer.  He has published two collections of poetry, Phases (2005) and Theatre of the Mind (2012).  A Lesson on Wings is forthcoming.