Life- A Book of Poems

Purpose

A man was born.
A man learned his love for baseball.
A man played his senior year.
A man finally found his love.
A man created an accounting business.
A man had two kids.
A man watched them grow.
A man worked forty years.
A man sold his business.
A man finally retired.
A man grew old.
A man passed away.

What was the purpose of his life,
of someone who has come and gone.
Had he lived his life to the fullest,
or is there anything he could have changed?

Purpose implies a goal,
something that gave his life meaning.
The man came into the world with many gifts,
but left very little behind.

Say we were to change his future,
give his gifts more time to shine.
Instead of only playing senior year,
let's say he makes it to the big leagues.

With his talent he becomes famous.
He masses exorbitant amounts of wealth.
Fans are inspired by his gift,
and his influence grows far and wide.

Although in time his talent goes.
He cannot swing as well as he used to.
He gets by with sponsorship deals,
but even they fade with time.

Fans look to younger players,
and his purpose leaves with them.
He passes away leaving only his wealth,
with few remembering his legacy.

Not bad, but could he do better?
For all baseball's rewards, its purpose was short lived.
What about something that yields greater returns,
bringing the potential for a greater purpose.

Let's say after he creates his accounting business,
he works hard to make it grow.
Through long nights and strenuous hours,
his firm becomes the largest in the state.

A significant feat, but can it grow larger?
To grow quickly, he cannot use traditional means.
He must twist arms and crack skulls,
and make shady deals behind the scenes.

It grows until it's the largest in the country.
His purpose greater than ever before.
His business helps many people with their needs.
With it, he gains massive amounts of wealth.
Which he can use to give to charity,
and pass along to his children.

His children must inherit his business after all.
Who else to carry the family name?
It is they who will carry his purpose,
long after he is dead and gone,
and so will inherit a greater purpose,
and they will do the same with their children,
and his legacy will last forever.

A powerful and lasting purpose!
None could doubt his influence on the world.
But is it truly worth,
forcing his children to carry the mantle?
What if they're terrible at running his business?
What if it is not what they aspire to do?
And when his business dies, like all things do,
should he haunt them in the afterlife?

There is an essential law of time.
Whatever is created in time will be destroyed by time.
Even things that build foundations for others,
even people we remember from history,
will all be lost when humanity goes.
If not humanity, then the end of time.

Many try to find the purpose of their lives,
yet no purpose they find can last forever.
What is the meaning of anything, if it will all amount to nothing?
What is the point, of what does not last?

What is the point...
of a simple game of baseball,
if he will never become a professional,
and his friends will one day be dead and gone?

What is the point...
Of sharing drinks amongst friends,
of reading silently in the night,
of sharing a dance with his love?

Do these moments give life meaning?
Perhaps so.
But even moments like these,
are not felt the same by everyone.
Because purpose does not come the moments themselves,
but the silent space in-between.

Silence.
What meaning could ever be without silence?
Space that flows through everyone's life,
like a blank page before any words are written.
It comes when you stop looking for purpose,
and so, life gains real meaning.

If you search for meaning in this world,
you will be disappointed every time.
This world is meaningless!
Only what's beyond gives it meaning.
Meaning that transforms a life without purpose,
and makes it a life worth living.