What measures do you use

To assess a life?

Was it happiness you pursued

Or was it ego, money, sex, fame or comfort?

Did you seek something worthwhile?-

And how did you define "worth"?

Was it the pursuit or the attainment

That mattered most?

And who traveled along with you

On this journey of discovery?

Was it love really?

And if it wasn't, please define it.

It was a long sidewalk

Uphill mostly

To get home from school.

Each step closer

The books became lighter

Until when I ran up the final steps

They weighed nothing

As mom swept me up-

And I hovered there

Between child & man

Before landing, fully formed.

From a back porch

On a thousand bitter cold days

A boy emerged unrestrained-

Able to move with speed & grace-

Talk with significant expertise-

Think with a dose of empathy

And act with generosity.

While all the same forces act

It is the mind that remains supreme.