December 1st

 

December is here again

How fast time has flown!

It’s count-down to Christmas day

And my mind is blown.

 

Blown at the speed of time

Yes, how fast it’s rolling by

And of course, I’m getting older

And nearer my time to die.

 

You may say I am morbid

And I guess you would be correct

But that this pertains to everyone

One cannot realistically reject.

 

 

Every day brings us nearer

To our time of departure

And this should be borne in mind

As an appointment in the future.

 

Hopefully, and thus I pray

We will see another Christmas

And hopefully, if it be God’s will,

It would not be our last.

 

I need to give a caution

Regarding this Christmas time,

Remember it is the silly season

So keep this in your mind.

 

 

Keep your wits about you

Especially when in Bridgetown,

Try to be prudent in your spending-

Prices are not coming down.

 

Rather, they’re getting higher

And we’re paying more for less

And the quality is not like before-

It surely is not the best.

 

Be on your P's and Q's

Maintain your personal space,

Do what you must do discreetly

And avoid the rush and haste.

 

 

Look out for the con men,

They are smarter and bolder

And don’t be afraid, I caution you,

To glance over your shoulder.

 

Carefully guard the dollars

January payday will drag,

Don’t buy the most expensive things

Just to have the right to brag.

 

Life happens after Christmas

So, do not be carried away

As though it is your very last fling

On your final day.

 

 

Be safe this Christmas season

Be wise and use commonsense,

And try as much as is possible

Not to take offense.

 

All kinds of accidents occur

During the Christmas season

And it is a known and proven fact

That silliness is the reason.

 

Stewart Russell © December 1, 2023

 

The Day I Died

 

 

The day I died

I hadn’t a clue,

I would have told you

If only I knew.

 

It was a week day

That is for sure,

Sunday to Saturday:

There are no more.

 

I was alive

Before I died,

That particular fact

Cannot be denied.

 

This very poem

Was written before,

Surely not after

Need I say more?

 

That’s all I can say

What did you expect,

Clearly at this time

I have not died yet.

 

Morbid, you’d say

I would say not,

I am still alive

And like life a lot.

 

The day I died

Is a coming event,

And while I know it

Death I resent.

 

I fear it a little

But not like before

So, before I finish

Here’s one more.

 

This is to be read

Only after I die

But you read it already

Good bye!

 

The day I died

I hadn’t a clue,

I would have told you

If only I knew.

 

Stewart Russell © July 5, 2021

 

The Fact Is…

Today is the oldest

That this year will ever be,

In less than fourteen hours

It will have passed in to eternity.

Was there some task

That you had planned to do?

Something had purposed

Before this year was through?

Well, hurry up and do it

In just thirteen hours more,

In this count down to 2020

The hours are getting lower.

Hey! Here is little something

You need to think about,

A little morbid, I would say,

But of it there is no doubt.

Today is the oldest

That somebody will ever reach,

It could be you or me

Consider this, I beseech.

Often we ponder,

Who will go in the New Year?

But before the year 2020

Many will disappear.

Less than thirteen hours now

As we wind this year down,

Somebody that’s counting

In 2020 will not be around.

No, I am not prophesying,

It’s an everyday thing

And none of us can tell

What a new day will bring.

Here today and gone tomorrow

I have oft heard it said

But the stark reality is

That today any of us could be dead. 

  

Everyday somebody dies,

That is a proven fact

And never the day or the person

Can we bring either back.

So as the year winds down

Bear these pointers in mind,

Time is very short

Even though it’s longer than twine.

Half the day is almost gone

As we look to another year,

Lord, teach us to apply our hearts to wisdom

As the Year 2020 appear.

Stewart Russell © December 2019