BEFORE WINTER COMES

one possible cover for a book

A boy soprano I could sing, 

Unknown to me, this was my Spring. 

When my fam-ly was all and I was young
And my whole life was still a song unsung. 

My childhood was easy and bright and new

And boyhood concerns were extreme-ly few. 

Content with little I was happy then

Not knowing I could not feel this again.

To work I was a newcomer,

Did not think this was my Summer.

I graduated and I dated her,

Then marriage and children a seeming blur,

A home of our own and stability

Made fam-ly life one of tranquillity.

A fulfilling career sped by so fast

Before I knew it, four decades had passed.

Told myself I’d not hit bottom,

This was a blast, this was Autumn.

As coloured leaves fell and cooler winds blew,

Formal work wound down and leisure tasks grew,

My focus was canvas, brushes and paint,

another cover option, front & back panels & my original painting

Even an artist can live like a saint.

My remaining thin hair turned white with age,

Paintings sales replaced a regular wage.

Poem done, on goes the printer

Must be ready, here comes Winter.

Must finish my books, my fam-ly hist-ry,

What follows next is still a mystery.

My entire life long I have lived in trust

That God will be near when my shell is dust.

Be patient with me as my mem-ry fades

Know I loved you when death pulls down the shades.

© Ron Unruh, May 2019