the headlines forge the image that is our reality,
question why, we struggle to explain,
reality finds it imbedded in the fiber of our being,
answering not for wealth when it is freely given,
responding not for glory when dirt and grim cover the shine,
giving not for our health when it is a risk,
in the tender hours of darkness
when exhaustion is courting sleep,
the body lingers in a steady state,
while the eyes reveal the truth,
the reward is clear in the state of living,
where someone else still breathes,
the day forges onward
to our reality of life
leaving just a few lines scrawled
to remind it is for life we give.