My Favorite Poem...The Dash By: Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end


He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following days with tears

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years


For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth


For it matters not, how much we own

The cars, the house, the cash

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash


So think about this long and hard

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know what time is left

That can still be rearranged


If we could just slow down enough

To consider what is true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel


And be less quick to anger

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before


If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while


So when your eulogy is being read

With your life's actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

And how you spent your dash?