Only Today to Die
A reflection on the present, the future, and the moments we keep postponing
Initial reflection
We often convince ourselves that tomorrow holds the answer. We will finally speak the words tomorrow, make the change, and live the life we've been putting off. This poem emerged from those quiet moments when I questioned this belief—when I wondered whether the security we place in tomorrow is nothing but a comfort, a way to avoid the discomfort of living fully in the now.
Time is elusive. We procrastinate conversations, affections, and even our dreams, believing we'll always have more time. But is this endless 'tomorrow' a form of protection, or are we quietly betraying the present?
Today’s poem
In my last poem, I explored the fleeting nature of time and how we often overlook the urgency to embrace the present. In this piece, I focus on how we push life forward—treating tomorrow like a guarantee, a place to store our dreams while we hesitate in the now.
This poem reflects how we often push away our desires, conversations, and love to a future we believe is endless. It questions the comfort we find in 'tomorrow' and asks whether we might be missing the importance of today.
The Illusion of Tomorrow
To talk, to hug, to love
we will always have tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the hope of redemption
for those who don't live with their hearts
and full lungs in the present;
tomorrow is the excuse to leave:
"tomorrow I'll try again";
it's the dream of a fresh start,
of waking up and doing things differently;
it's putting life on hold from your gut,
being content with the present.
To talk, to hug, to love
we will always have tomorrow.
We will always have tomorrow to live!
We will always have time:
we're young, with so much to learn.
Don't worry, we'll always have tomorrow,
tomorrow we can chase our dreams,
tomorrow we can live...
But isn’t today all we have to die?
So I ask you: How often do you find yourself waiting for tomorrow? What conversations, dreams, or actions are you holding off for another day? Perhaps we should ask ourselves if it's tomorrow we're waiting for, or today we're avoiding.
Stunning Ana!
Well done Ana. You manege to confront us with a habit we all have on a daily basis: putting off until tomorrow, even if we know that tomorrow could be too late. We seem to like living in the illusion of eternity.