A Measure of a Life
A child first crawls on uncertain ground
Soft palms learning the shape of sound.
Then comes the step, the wobble, the fall,
The first brave walk, the first clear call.
A word is spoken, a friend is made,
Laughter traded in schoolyard shade.
A little cycle, wheels that spin,
Freedom begins with scraped-up skin.
Basic lessons, letters, sums,
A mind that opens, a future hums.
Then a bike, the road feels wide,
Wind and courage side by side.
Advanced learning, nights awake,
Dreams that form, choices to make.
A first job earned, self-worth grows,
Time becomes something one now owes.
A first car waits, keys in hand,
Life feels large, yet hard to plan.
A partner found, two paths align,
Shared doubts, shared bread, shared time.
A home of one’s own, walls that stay,
Shelter from night, from fear, from day.
Unease is fought, quietly faced,
With patience learned and pride replaced.
A first child’s cry, the heart expands,
Life now rests in fragile hands.
A first investment, seeds in ground,
Faith in the future, quietly sound.
New people met, a circle grows,
Community formed by yes and no’s.
Taking part where voices treat,
In work, in service, in crowded streets.
A paper published, thoughts made clear,
Knowledge offered, stripped of fear.
A book is written, skill laid bare,
Years of craft distilled with care.
Teaching the young what time has shown,
Passing tools once made one’s own.
Giving to trade, to field, to land,
Building more than one man can.
Caring for parents, now frail and slow,
Returning love they used to show.
Giving back what once was taken,
Meals, sacrifices, sleep forsaken.
And so a life, not loud, not grand,
Measured by what it chose to hand
From first small step to final role,
A quiet arc toward being whole.