Passing By
We take all days a lonely stroll,
We all cross past many a poor soul,
All with a dream delayed or a far off goal,
All gone in a blink like fish in their shoals,
The center of their selves an empty hole,
The fires within them starved of coal,
Each person left to earn their dole,
Each person ignored takes a heavy toll,
And as you rise like a star-eyed foal,
And as you fall on your bedroll,
So change in life your given role,
So as by changing yourself,
You’ll change the whole.
Before
The mural stretches,
From wall to wall,
Its mighty splendour,
Stands proud and tall,
Stolen in paint,
From ancient lore,
Stands the visage,
Of those,
Who came before,
Trophies adorn,
Their places of rest,
Trinkets to show,
When they were the best
Their deeds many,
Each a legend itself,
Gone from home,
For glory and wealth,
To this home,
Many never return,
To the place they came from,
To grow and to learn.
(Copyright Richard Gimbel 2021)
