The Last Day
In days when life and times were hard, a man would make his way
by carving out the wilderness for a place where he could stay.
Floyd Henry Hill was such a man who worked hard all his life
and never really had the time to find himself a wife.
But he had land for farming grain and land where cattle roam.
He built himself a high tech barn and a big two-story home.
He bought a fancy pick up truck, a silver inlaid saddle,
and had a pool installed out back where friends could float and paddle.
From the first gold rays of morning to the setting of the sun
he¡¦d tour his ranch and look with pride at all that he had done.
But this rancher had a problem, caused by way too much success.
He was running out of storage space and suffering lots of stress.
He told his friends he¡¦d build a barn, like none they¡¦d ever known.
It would cover several acres, have a zip code all it¡¦s own.
And no matter what the weather, inside his grand construction
the climate would be perfect for the optimum production.
Why he would be the envy of folks around the nation
who¡¦d marvel at his mastery of ranching innovation.
But the one thing he did not expect on his ground breaking day
was the very thing that happened. Floyd Henry passed away.
And all the wealth he worked for went to Uncle Sam no doubt
cause you can not take it with you when at last your string¡¦s run out
So what good did it do him, all that greed and search for wealth?
He should have done for others and not solely for himself.
See, the one truth he¡¦d forgotten, is you don¡¦t leave here alive
But, if your treasure is in heaven, it¡¦s there when you arrive.
Copyright © Jeff Hildebrandt | Year Posted 2005
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment