What will be my legacy? I have paintings and poems, sure. I have the issues I stand up for. However, what I really want to pass on to the people I love is that even with my mistakes, I sure did love them.
in the determination
of how we are remembered?
Are they all equal
or are they weighted,
each defining moment
tipping the balance
until our final breath?
Which moments grow heavier
as our timelines progress?
If legacy is what survives us -
our impact carried forward,
built upon by others -
can the essence of who we were
be reduced to simple adjectives?
If so, which words define us?
Will strength be the measure -
persistence, courage, dependability?
Or temperament -
enthusiasm, wit, radiance?
Which carries more weight:
intelligence or creativity?
Does legacy require
something tangible be left behind?
And then what of the quiet moments,
the ones when no one was watching,
that guided our choices,
shaped our becoming,
and steadied us onward?
They left no artifact.
No proof of effort.
Yet they formed the essence
of who we became.
Will our failures be weighed
against what we produced;
and will they be softened
by the love we carried,
the empathy we practiced,
the compassion we chose,
even imperfectly so?
Perhaps legacy is not what we leave behind,
but what we leave within others:
an example of becoming,
a way of loving,
held.
Poetry by Melinda K Zarate
Read 22 times
Written on 2026-01-12 at 22:39
Save as a bookmark (requires login)
Write a comment (requires login)
Send as email (requires login)
Print text
Legacy
Which moments countin the determination
of how we are remembered?
Are they all equal
or are they weighted,
each defining moment
tipping the balance
until our final breath?
Which moments grow heavier
as our timelines progress?
If legacy is what survives us -
our impact carried forward,
built upon by others -
can the essence of who we were
be reduced to simple adjectives?
If so, which words define us?
Will strength be the measure -
persistence, courage, dependability?
Or temperament -
enthusiasm, wit, radiance?
Which carries more weight:
intelligence or creativity?
Does legacy require
something tangible be left behind?
And then what of the quiet moments,
the ones when no one was watching,
that guided our choices,
shaped our becoming,
and steadied us onward?
They left no artifact.
No proof of effort.
Yet they formed the essence
of who we became.
Will our failures be weighed
against what we produced;
and will they be softened
by the love we carried,
the empathy we practiced,
the compassion we chose,
even imperfectly so?
Perhaps legacy is not what we leave behind,
but what we leave within others:
an example of becoming,
a way of loving,
held.
Poetry by Melinda K Zarate
Read 22 times
Written on 2026-01-12 at 22:39
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text|
Kee Zealy |
