Leave Your Mark
Do not consent to drift, a feather on the breeze,
To pass through seventy years and vanish with the trees.
The sun will set on every pulse, the stars will fall to dust,
But what you built with thought and toil, in that, you place your trust.
The fear is not of ending, but of never having been—
A silent shadow passing, without a single din.
For monuments of granite fade, and empires turn to sand,
The mighty fortress crumbles, unheld by any hand.
The mark you seek to leave is not carved into the stone,
But etched upon the hearts you touched, the seeds that you have sown.
It is the gentle, hidden truth, the lesson taught with grace,
That finds a home in other minds and finds its lasting place.
You are the architect of time, the builder of the years,
And every act a hammer-strike that calms another's fears.
A word of courage whispered when the world was dark and cold,
A thread of wisdom spun from pain that turned to beaten gold.
This is the currency of soul, the wealth that cannot rust,
The light you lend to lead a path, when others walk in dust.
The ripple starts invisibly, a drop upon the lake,
But stretches far beyond your sight, for others' sake.
The student that you mentored, the book you chose to write,
The civic wrong you righted, pushing darkness back to light.
You may not see the final arc, the harvest of your deed,
But every garden starts its growth from just one careful seed.
So live with purpose fiercely lit, let passion be your guide,
Let every failure teach you strength, with nothing left to hide.
Let your integrity be known, a banner on the wall,
To stand for what is just and true, and answer freedom’s call.
Do not delay the kindness meant, the truth you need to speak,
For time is not a boundless sea, but just a single creek.
When shadows lengthen on the grass, and strength begins to wane,
The measure of your footprint lies not in pleasure, but in pain
That you endured and overcame, the burdens that you bore,
And how you left the pathway cleaner than it was before.
Your legacy is not a list of titles or of gain,
But how you minimized the sorrow, and amplified the rain
That nourished those who followed, long after you are gone,
Waking them to greet a bright and unforgotten dawn
