Could It Ever Be Enough?

by Allard de Jong

We all ask to live longer,
To stretch the threads of time—
A few more days,
A few more breaths,
A chance to climb one last mountain,
To watch the sun dip low again,
To whisper love once more.

But could it ever be enough?
When the horizon keeps shifting,
When tomorrow holds its promise out,
Offering what today withheld?
Would we ever say,
“This is it—this is the fullness,
The end of yearning”?

Would another year,
Another laugh,
Another touch of a familiar hand
Satisfy the hunger
That beats beneath our ribs?
Or does the heart always crave
What it cannot hold?

Perhaps it is not time we seek
But the fullness of its flavour.
Not longer days,
But deeper ones,
Where moments swell like tides
And linger like echoes.

To live longer—yes, we ask it.
But could it ever be enough
If we have not yet learned
To savour the now,
To cradle the fleeting,
To rest in the tender ache
Of life’s impermanence?

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Reprinted with permission. Read more by Allard de Jong here.