Where Does A Poem Begin?

WHAT DOES A POEM MEAN? Where does a poem begin And where does a life end And what does it all mean? The life the poem who and what we are The stars will go on until they burn out and die in a time we will never see The earth itself will go until it dies in the heat given by a dying sun. All things lovely and beautiful Grass and trees and lilacs and cities of love and people who care for each other All good and great things- Greater poems by far than this will forever not be And music that makes the heart and mind more sublime. All is vanity of vanity says the preacher. Though not because it all returns to what it was And repeats without end what it will continue to be But because once and only once Even our Universe will die. Oh time oh life oh love oh peace Oh words that try to mean And cannot stay more than our own small instant of hearing and fearing Death is our name Death death death. God forgive me Only You can save us.