Looking Back

I’ve not scaled the highest mountain, nor sailed the deepest sea,
But I’ve held my children in my arms and that’s enough for me.
I never walked upon the moon: repelled down steep ravines,
But the bedtime tale, told a little child, is far greater than it seems.

I once longed to swim the coral reef with snorkel, fin and mask,
But a day by the sea with my children in tow, was enough for me to ask.
To soar from mountain meadow, through skies of deepest blue:
Once a lovely dream of mine, but a dream that would never come true.

I wondered in my younger years, before I had fully matured,
If I was missing out on life and all its great rewards?
I settled young and missed some fun, as children came and grew.
I thought of all I could have been and all I'd hoped to do.

But years pile up and weigh us down: resolve begins to wane.
We’re left here looking toward the back, replaying life again.
It's strange how clear it all seems now, from an elder point of view.
How meaningless some dreams became: like time itself they flew. 

And I am left just standing here with very few regrets,
For things undone and sights unseen and people never met.
For other folks my days on earth might seem to lack success,
But looking back across those years; I’m sure I've done what’s best.


© 2015 Diane Lefebvre

Copyright © | Year Posted 2015



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Date: 5/13/2015 9:17:00 AM
A poem offering quiet reflection on the essence of being human and what it means to dream of flying high and yet keep your feet firmly on the ground sifting wants from needs. Emile.
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Diane Lefebvre
Date: 5/13/2015 8:46:00 PM
Thank you for your kind perspective Emile. If we live long enough, I think that everything falls into perspective and one finds oneself seeing things through an entirely different prism than in an earlier time period. Best regards, Diane L.
Date: 5/13/2015 2:11:00 AM
G'day Diane... enjoyed your poem greatly Diane. We do think about what might have been when really what we did do was best for us and those around us at the time - Thank you Diane - Lindsay
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Diane Lefebvre
Date: 5/13/2015 8:49:00 PM
Alas, Lindsay . . it is love that makes us put aside the things we would like to do. Love is so much stronger than 'like.' Thanks for your nice remarks. Diane L.
Date: 5/13/2015 1:42:00 AM
A wonderful write, Diane! Great flow and rhyme. I've enjoyed reading your lovely, introspective poem tonight. Love, Kim
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Diane Lefebvre
Date: 5/18/2015 9:54:00 PM
Hello Kim, Thank you so much for your kind comments. My life is getting to be a long one, with a new me for each decade, or so it seems. The greatest reward of all is to be able to look back with satisfaction and gratitude for how much I was blessed. Best regards, Diane l.
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