My life is spinning open to spring beyond my grasp,
unsecured by hardware of loop or bar or hasp.
Hope lifts to wing with feathers spreading in its flight,
springing into the future until it’s out of sight.
By what am I driven that I have set Hope free,
to reach out beyond me, perhaps that it might see
all that I desire beyond the status quo
of the lives that I have lived—the truths I’ve claimed to know?
Life in the guise of here and now, of Heaven or of Hell,
is a man-made legend that we know too well.
But when the death knell chimes for us, what new truth might we learn?
Will we face those pearly gates or will we slowly burn?
Might we go on to distant worlds so far that we can’t see—
orbs turning in another realm where we have come to be
in another shape or form, another turn of mind?
And will we still be our own selves when newly redefined
as bird or beast or creature heretofore unseen—
just one more ghostly image cast on time’s flickering screen?
The prompts for The Sunday Swirl Wordle 509 are: hope feathers flight sight guise desire chime beyond spinning open springs drive. Image by Jan Tinneburg on Unsplash.
And for dVerse Pets Open Link Night

Food for thought.
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Wow! A profound and thought provoking poem Judy. Great use of all the words
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Thanks, Sadje..
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You’re most welcome
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Wow. I don’t care as long as there are dogs. Seriously. This is a beautiful piece, Judy.
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Love the push and ambition in this piece, reaching into the core paradoxes of existence in such a lyrical way. Finished so perfectly too, with:
“:just one more ghostly image cast on time’s flickering screen?”
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Thanks, Scott. I just hope we are cognizant after death so we can appreciate the answers to some puzzles.
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This is deeply poignant, Judy! ❤️❤️❤️
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Thanks, Sanaa
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I love your poem, Judy. You present questions for the ages..
But when the death knell chimes for us, what new truth might we learn?
And will we still be our own selves when newly redefined
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I spend a bit of time thinking about those things I never thought about in my first seventy years!
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I know the feeling. I am doing the same thing. Relfections as I Grow Old. A great title for my next poetry book!! :>)
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“And will we still be our own selves when newly redefined”–that is the ultimate question for me. (K)
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Your rhyme has such enjoyable rhythm and cadence, Judy!
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Thanks, Jennifer.
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