Enduring Legacy

I did not sleep well last night. Changes in medications and schedules, adjusting to home instead of hospital, and dealing with the consequences of falling down hard on the kitchen floor combined to have me up and out of bed nearly every hour, on the hour, for the entire night. It seems impossible that I had time to have a dream, but I did...and it was a doozy!

I suppose we all eventually must come to grips with our own legacy...that which we leave behind, and from which our descendants will remember us and determine the value of our lives. Although the idea of a legacy seldom intruded upon my daily thoughts, it must have been knocking about for some time in my subconscious, for it surfaced last night. It brought an angel in tow, to sit at the foot of my bed and chat about what I planned to leave behind upon my journey to the distant shore. What would be my enduring legacy?

Mick

Enduring Legacy

I dreamt that an angel visited me,
And sat, smiling, at the foot of my bed.
"Good news and bad news..." He said, quietly.
"The good news is you're going Home!" He said.
"And the bad news?" I asked, tenuously,
Unsure what direction this talk would take.
His ageless face smiled, quicksilver, at me:
"My friend, you have a decision to make!"

He told me my time on Earth was complete,
My tally of years: three more than three score:
Though not ancient, surely not a defeat,
But t'was time to open another door.
I started to rise, no more time to bide,
When he waved me back, and smiled at me.
For before I left, I had to decide,
What would be my enduring legacy.

Head on my pillow, face filled with surprise,
Heart full of questions despite my belief;
I searched deeply his ancient angel eyes,
They showed concern, but offered no relief.
A legacy...and one that must endure!
Something that would carry on after me.
It would not be money, that was for sure,
Nor fame, nor position of family...

Just a mortgaged house, a ten-year old car,
Knick-knacks and doo-dads picked up on the way;
Nothing of value to go very far,
As inheritance I could give away.
What wonders could my legacy comprise?
The answer that popped in my head -- absurd!
Were faith, fancy, and memories the prize,
In images, written and spoken word?

While watching my eyes, his head nodded once.
I asked: "Should I call, or write a letter?"
He sprang to his feet and said on the nonce,
"It seems something longer would be better.
Your journey has been postponed, my old friend;
It seems that you still have some work to do!
And though seldom gifted to see the end
Result, know your legacy will come true."

He turned back, just as he started to leave,
And favored me with a great beaming smile.
"May I come back?" He asked, "For I believe
I would like to visit once in a while."
I nodded, but words just would not begin.
In an instant, he was no longer there.
I sat up, my face registered chagrin,
"Anytime," I said to the empty air...

Mick McKellar
February 2013