How far must I journey
Through the careless spiral of years
Until I bear, but skin and bone?
Until a stern chill
Conquers my powdery remnants?

When nothing more is uttered
In the flawless sheen of eternity
Defer, full and content
Unscathed, untroubled
By a clean and painless escape

The offerings I reap
Are but barren strands of earth
Tarnished havens
Where I raise my one-track concerns

Upon the coarsest soil
I have crafted my all
A half-hearted summary
A flimsy and worthless display

All I have given
Is all for not
A withering vessel
A feast for the icy currents

Yet despair eludes me
In this slow and sure descent
My return to blissful silence
The revered and always looming shadows