I live every day…

“Live life as if it were your last day”

The duality of this statement blows my mind away

On one hand, it tells you not to wait

For tomorrow, because that may be too late

On the other, it forces you to think

Morbid thoughts, to exist at the brink

Of catastrophe waiting to take

Your precious life- I wonder what to make

Of this philosophy that tries to infuse

Urgency in your life, such that you lose

The joie de vivre in every moment

And that, my friends is my predicament

How do you savor each moment as if it’s your last

Remembering that death could come to you fast?

*

If a constant reminder of your mortality is in your face

Your attachment to life grows stronger in the first place

And all the good you would have liked to do

All the altruistic inclinations within you

Take a backseat to the selfish desire to cling

To life, it becomes the most important thing

You end up consuming more than you give

As a fulfilling life you try to live…

*

Let me confess I cannot live each day

As if it were my last, this is what I have to say

Let me detach myself from the desire to live

As much as I can, let me at least make an effort to give

Back to the world, suppressing my selfishness

Let me try to give a little more, take a little less…