Lament

The choice was mine and mine completely

I could have any prize that I desired

I could burn with the splendor of the brightest fire

Or else, or else I could choose time

Remember I was very young then

And a year was forever and a day

So what use could fifty, sixty, seventy be?

I saw the lights and I was on my way

And how I lived, how they shone

But how soon the lights were gone

The choice was yours and no one else's

You can cry for a body in despair

Hang your head because she is no longer there

To shine, to dazzle or betray

How she lived, how she shone

But how soon the lights were gone

Eyes, hair, face, image

All must be preserved

Still life displayed forever

No less than she deserved