The Ashes Of Life Spent

vast unsung mass of humanity, in their end,
beautiful in their number
reduce to tepid sentimentality.
Songs adored, words that moved us
people dear, people loathed,
...these are the ashes of life, spent

A Litter of papers - shed of meaning,
Treasured objects once cherished
Made tawdry by time, ravaged by dust,
betray their significance.
Sold for pennies to listless bargainers
...these are the ashes of life, spent

Center of the Universe, diamond in the rough
Every thought once profound, history told
Stories unfold in real-time only to be lost
by millennial march,
...these are the ashes of life, spent

Breath exhausted, epiphanies gained then forgotten
warmth of sun, and bracing cold.
New days, old days, mornings and twilights
Scores of lovers, and terrible fights
...these are the ashes of life, spent

Recollections, once unforgettable
Fade, lackluster, unheralded
Discarded and ignored to Universe end
A paltry flash of magnificence
Rest, rest now, this life spent