Poetry by Will Pennington
Erased by an impetuous sea,
Jealous, I think, of my temerity
in leaving behind
an imprint of
Stone fabric, cold, incurvated;
A chase, the sun, a hand,
Symbols, signs, epitaphs
that cry
I Was Here, Remember Me
The wind, the stars, the sea,
Inked on the space that surrounds me;
Permanence that comes with death,
Usually;
Not that bodily death is not permanent,
Just so, but my spirit
to live on in memory of me
Not just a symbol, a sign, an epitaph,
Footsteps in stone are but curiosities
three million years hence:
“Lucy walked here” but who was Lucy?
My own symbols are signs and epitaphs
laid out for you to read;
My hopes and dreams, my fears and loves
cry out that I must leave something behind
On a craggy eminence overlooking the sea, as
the brusque wind blew salt upon my lips
and the fragrant stink of seaweed filled my nostrils
amid the cry of seagulls overhead,
I contemplated in the warmth of the sun,
As I gripped, knuckles-white, Earth’s rocky permanence,
The message that I read with all my senses:
Remember me
About the Poet
Raised around the world in an Air Force family, Will served twenty-seven years in the US Navy. Introspective and sentimental, he pens poetry about relationships while working on the manuscript for his second novel. Will and his wife, Michiko Ono, make their home in Southern Maryland.
Want more great poetry? Click the Vita Brevis Randomizer below (maybe you’ll find the hidden page!)