If I should last to see the night
When all my thoughts are old -
I hope the string that holds them tight
Is safe, secure, and bold.
I do not want those secret seams
To fray; to free; to breach -
I do not want my dearest dreams
To lie beyond my reach.
I do not want the twilight knife
To cut and blind and blur -
I do not want to grasp at life,
And all the things that were.
For I could ride the end astride,
And face the finish, free -
As long as I'm the same inside.
As long as I'm still me.