the victor's smile

​Each day I become a bit more unraveled.
My body has begun the wearing out stage.
Growing was over some fifteen years ago.
Weakness and pain begin to slowly take over.
 
I resist a little bit
But I do not reject the reality.
My grip on this life loosens
And my hope buds.
 
One day I will, O glorious day, let go altogether
And my everything will be swallowed up in Light and Joy and Life
Unreality choked out by Reality.
 
My thoughts drift more now than ever
To that other dimension
Where everything is always new
And striving ends.
 
One would think that all this
Would diminish my appreciation
For this dimension’s joys
But, Oh, quite the contrary.
 
I am like a man leading the race
By a mile on the last lap
Striving and worry behind—goal just ahead
I smile the victor’s smile.
 
The enjoy the race more than ever
Sandwiches never tasted so good
Coffee was never so rich
Skies never so blue
My child’s laugh never so pristine
And all the flowers dance
The TV is funnier
And dinner lasts all night
And the kiss of my beloved
As true as an arrow hitting the mark.