While Yet There Is Time

--by falsemonkeypuzzl, posted Jan 5, 2008

Many years ago when I was in college, I came across this very inspirational poem:

While Yet There is Time

The hours slip past,

Our moments melt into the eternity behind us

Time sweeps us onto a destination from which there is no return.

While yet there is time,

Look out upon the world,

Devour it with your eyes,

And if your spirit demands more

Add at least one stone to the edifice being built

Fill your lungs with the smell of flowers,

Let the first cool breath of dawn blow through your hair

While yet there is time

Let us greet the dawn together,

While yet there is time,

Love and be loved,

Let your thoughts throw light in dark places,

Let your lips blossom in a smile.

While yet there is time,

Let the hand of a friend feel the warmth of your hand,

How much we have to do, to create, to express.

While yet there is time

Graft a slender bough to a mighty tree

Do not say I love to everyone,

be merciless to your enemies,

be tender to your friends.

While yet there is time,

live, labor,

but live and labor so that when you are gone,

everyone will see that where once you were

an emptiness yawns.

~Razul

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Just thought I would add that my interpretation of the word 'enemies' in the poem is that the word is referring not to individual people, but rather to the negative states of action that exist in the world such as hate, injustice, and intolerance. Let us remember that, the next time we feel the anger toward another and see if we have the capacity to stand up against the violence but show mercy to the person. Thank you.

6290 Reads

Posted by falsemonkeypuzzl
Jan 5, 2008
Comments (6)

Readers Comments

Sandy wrote: Blessed be the internet. I cannot remember when i came across this poem but it may have been fifty or more years ago. In all those years when i had hoped to find it again, i felt that time and life had slipped away without fulfillment. Tonight, when at last i found it again, there is solace that my life has been filled with these moments. Maybe i was never as lost as i felt.

Fran wrote: I was given a caligraphied version of this poem in 1971. It was attributed to psul psa. I have never found anything on this poem's writer. I wish i could. I love it.

Half Broke Horse wrote: I came across this poem 40 years ago when my mother was dying of cancer. I copied it by hand on a pasquales's restaurant paper placemat. It was so fitting to my understanding of life at age 16 and i haven't found anything more applicable to my current beliefs. This poet is right up there with 2 of my other favorites: kahlil gibran ( the prophet ) and omar khayyam ( the rubaiyat )

mitu915 wrote: oh, how sweet but also forlorn!

JuneBug wrote: When I'm gone, the world will consist of skinny people....:}

Tigerlily wrote: When I'm gone.... somebody is going to have a hard time straightening up this office! ;)

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