Memories are not just looking back
But images to borrow
How useless life would seem to be
With only just tomorrow!

How can you understand your day
Without a guide to measure
What can tomorrow mean to you
No image left to treasure?

The waves toss shells upon the shore
A short time to remain
Receding waters pull them back
Their beauty is reclaim.

Not so with life its sweeping tides
Made up of words and actions
The ugliness or beauty stays
And there are no retractions.

The words and deeds of every day
That is reality
The impact they will leave behind
Is immortality.