Fragile | a poem

I have dabbled in writing poetry since high school. Unsurprisingly, most of what I wrote back then is pretty subpar stuff, and that's putting it mildly. But the poem below is one of the first poems I ever wrote that I think is actually decent when I look back on it today. I have decided to start posting more of my poetry on this site and perhaps it will inspire me to write more.

This was written just days after the death of a very close family friend. He was a great man and it was an immensely sad time for me. I was in my late teens and looked up to him quite a bit. His death got me thinking about the fragility of human existence. James 4:14b came to my thoughts at the time, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." With those things on my mind, I sat down and wrote the poem below.

Photo credit: https://morguefile.com/p/1167830

fragile

like a vapor, here and then gone

a sudden sigh, now one's passed on

life is so fragile, a smoky wisp

a passing shadow, an ocean's mist

turn of a page, blink of an eye

a drop in a pool, a flash 'cross the sky

only an instant, then they are through

gone so soon, like the kiss of dew

© 2001 J.D. Sutter

A few years ago, in early 2020, composer Dominic Treis wrote a piece of music to accompany my narration of the poem. He also added some light sound effects as well. I think it turned out quite nicely. The copyright date in the audio is different from the one above. That is my fault, not Dominic's. Back then I gave him the date when I had first published the poem online, rather than the actual original year it was written. (Click the link above to hear recent samples of his work.)

Back in 2021, I handwrote the poem to test out a device called the Rocketbook, a reusable notebook that can easily scan notes into digital files. I thought I'd share that as a fun, little bonus. Here is the result.

Some of the feedback I've received on this poem over the years:

• "the imagery is beautiful. this is a bittersweet poem, i think, because it combines the sadness of the shortness of life along with a sense of reverence and love for that life. i think it really shows that this was inpired by something very deep and genuine, because it is so heartfelt...good job :)" -- Ailee
• "I love the imagery and the similes in this piece. The rhyme scheme is simple and I like it. I think it's short but full of strong emotions on your view of death." -- Coral
• "This is wonderful. Your words paint an image as delicate as a spider's web. You expressed your thoughts very well." -- Emily
• "Great writing ... Succinct..great metaphors..flows nicely..deep." -- Roy

Hope you enjoyed this poem. More to come! Please share this post with someone who you think will enjoy it!