I Will Be The Better

I Will Be The Better * To have left the world Without making it a better Place for ourselves and Our animal friends, What kind of a life was that? * To have left the world With family and friends Remembering me as cynical, Sarcastic, and pessimistic What kind of life memories were those? * To have left the world Loving conditionally, What kind of love was that? * In my next life I will be the better For letting our world's Flora and Fauna Instruct me in the Ways of stewardship. * In my next life I will be the better For loving my family And friends unconditionally. * In my next life I will be the better For listening to the children With my heart and soul And let them guide me In the ways of innocence and wonder. * And when I cross over, I'll give a nod to Socrates Who, once upon a time, said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” And I will be the better For having examined mine. *