Legacies
--------

What if I die tomorrow?

What do I leave behind me?

Family, stretching out,
Branches twisting into space.
Will they visit my stone in a year?
In three?
In ten?

Years pass, bad photos linger
on walls, in albums,
a name printed on the back.

"Who was that?"
They ask, and then no one asks,
And nothing remains.

Friends, good friends,
From across the seas, a block away
Will they remember me in a year?
In three?
In ten?

Years pass, my face becomes
a half-remembered image
more motion than portrait.

"Do you remember?"
They ask, and then no one asks,
And nothing remains.

Little words, written in blood
Transcribed through electronic purgatory.
Who will read these scribblings in a year?
In three?
In ten?

Years pass, my words are lost
from moved archives
forgotten fandoms.

"Did you ever read?"
They ask, and then no one asks,
And nothing remains.

What if I do not die tomorrow?

What if I grow old alone?

Dreams, youth-born desires,
Fire-words to share and Teach.
Will I be true to myself in a year?
In three?
In ten?

Years pass, the dreams die,
Executed by general reality
And my traitorous apathy.

"What is right?"
I ask, and then do not ask,
And nothing remains.

1/2/98