perhaps I will not see it arrive, but
I pray on bent knee that I am not early.
For I do not believe life shall be stayed
nor will our universe cease to exist
as our world continues turning.
The rain will not stop falling
nor will the snow drifts—not drift.
Our oceans shall not cast off their churning
while mountains rise and crumble
against their relentless waves
dolphins chuckle in the bay.
That fateful day will not slow the rivers’ flow
or still the dark clouded Westwind
as it showers barren lands into budding
valleys of flowers. Nor can it delay
the bees gathering their honey
or the Asian carp invading our waters. It
shall not stay grass growing beneath my wet feet
or cloud the blue sky over my head. All this
cannot prevent Time’s erosion.
Nor can it halt my deep desire to cherish
these final precious moments.
Randy Lee White earned a Master in Arts, majoring in English from UNC Charlotte in 2007. A collection of his poetry, titled, “Scanning Past Horizons,” was published by Poets Choice in 2024. He has had two poems published by Underwood Press and one by Baker Street. He has had other stories and poems published by Bartleby Snopes, Sanskrit, Gambling the Aisle, The Helix Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, and The Monarch Review.