The Dash

I didn't write this one but I sure wouldn't be ashamed of it if I had. It was written by Linda Ellis in 1996. Enjoy!


I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love th people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life's actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?


Please don't credit me for the sucky punctuation...I simply retyped what was on my paper copy, which is probably a typed copy from someone else and blah blah blah. Anyway, we're reading this poem at the Relay during our Luminaria Ceremony. It'll be so neat. Gotta go now...AHM TAAAAAHRD!

Letter to myself

I'd tell myself to stay in school, find God a little sooner to give my soul renewal. I'd not undo what was done to me because it would eventually shape who I would be. I'd tell myself people are better not knowing, so I shouldn't tell them because it's not worth bestowing my pain and grief onto someone else. I'd have said, "Don't worry about the past today but think ahead to tomorrow instead." And be patient about moving out on your own, if you rush it you'll end up feeling alone. Remember to wake with the sun every day, it reflects your own beauty in a special way. And make sure your friends know what they mean to you to ensure they will be there to see you through the rest of the things you'll have had to see before you could grow into a beautiful me.