life goals in poetry

if you’re famous enough when you die
they’ll name a street after you somewhere
your name will live beyond you somewhere
everyone will know your name somewhere

if you’re famous enough when you die
they’ll walk all over your memory somewhere
they’ll live right on top of you somewhere
they’ll forget what that word ever meant

if you’re famous enough when you die
you’ll be forgotten your name will survive
divorced from your goals or your meanings
ripped up every five years and paved new
until someone else even more famous dies

and they change the name
and you’re finally free
to mean what you meant
and move on somewhere else

Last updated February 07, 2021