No Cause To Be Afraid
by Michael Doyle

Sometimes it feels like death follows me,
Creeping along like a shadow that swallows me.
Maybe it is that I should already be dead,
I know that's too much to have been said.

At three, I was pushed backward in a pool,
Sinking down into the deep end felt peaceful and cool.
My dad saw and dove in to save me,
But never understood the perspective it gave me.

I stared into the eyes of death,
Unafraid to the edge of my last breath.
Only certain that there was no cause to be afraid,
It was as if life were cards to be played.

Life goes by so quickly, too fast.
The truth of it is, it won't last.
It's filled with danger as we find our way,
When our number is up, that's our final day.

We find our happiness under the moon above,
And we cherish those we were born to love.
We search for dreams under unturned stone,
Until the day comes, we end life again alone.

I stared into the eyes of death,
Unafraid to the edge of my last breath.
Only certain that there was no cause to be afraid,
It was as if life were cards to be played.

Life goes on, and you slowly fall apart,
Until you are broken even in your heart.
Everywhere you go, you build new family.
They are so precious in your memory. 

Life's beauty is lost through injury.
Sometimes it is lost without any memory.
In this life, it is what we don't and what we do.
It's the truth of life and death given to you.

I stared into the eyes of death,
Unafraid to the edge of my last breath.
Only certain that there was no cause to be afraid,
It was as if life were cards to be played.

Without love, there is only loneliness,
That and memories of what it is you miss.
So much of life turns out undeserved,
Whether it is to own riches or be underserved.

I build my memorials to those I've lost.
Sometimes, it is too much to count the cost.
This is the path of faint hope lived in. 
At the end, I can only hope that I'll be forgiven.

I stared into the eyes of death,
Unafraid to the edge of my last breath.
Only certain that there was no cause to be afraid,
It was as if life were cards to be played.

(c) January 27, 2026    Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved