What a crazy life—
to be born,
to think,
to feel,
to love,
right here, right now.
And then twenty years ago,
scenes in my head,
soundtracks spinning,
smells and tastes alive again.
The tuna in the ocean,
and the tuna in the can.
Alive in both moments,
silent in both moments,
I lift the spoon,
taste salt and centuries of the sea,
as I sit here,
watching the snow melt.
The cup of bitter dark coffee
sitting on my maple desk
breathes the same strong notes
of dirt and earth
as coffee from thirty-five years ago,
sitting on my nightstand—
Beethoven’s concerto in B-flat,
booming through the quiet room.
Maybe Rolling Stones,
the other cup,
the other me.
Whatever it is
that makes me me,
that makes us us,
must continue.
There’s too much life
to let it end at death.
-
Author:
Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: February 15th, 2026 09:02
- Comment from author about the poem: If this poem spoke to you, there's a longer spoken-word reading with a jazz backdrop on my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?vxSb3oMjGoHQ You can find my poetry books on Amazon Its Just a Hop, Skip, and Jump to the Madhouse, Seedy Town Blues, and more right here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX Thanks for reading, listening, and walking the miles with me
- Category: Unclassified
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Comments4
So much metaphor in this Thomas life death a coffin can yet no what is canned is preserved as memories are preserved and one has to ask is this what life is a memory. Our memory, others memories what we leave canned to be tasted by those to come as they open those cans be it music, poems, stories, photos, things we made or families we created each a smell, a taste, a vision of who we are. A fave my friend
Well done. Your poem revolves around the interconnectedness of life experiences, memory, and the continuity of existence beyond death. It reflects on significant moments from the past and the ways they resonate in the present.
Thomas, this feels expansive and intimate at once. The way you move from tuna and coffee to memory and mortality…there’s something quietly profound in that. “There’s too much life to let it end at death” lands like conviction, not sentiment. Beautiful meditation. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Definitely, beats me why clowns start wars when the good times are rolling.
Life isn't long enough to do all the things you want.
Wild horses and a coffee do it for me.
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