I think about my legacy

as I drive through the thin rain 

up the canyon, home 

I wonder what is worth

trying to leave behind

what is worth letting go

I then remember

a set of footprints in stone I saw 

in a mountainside monastery

where a monk

prayed every morning

for so many decades

that even after he was gone

he never fully left

perhaps I can aim

for a legacy like this

that through some great

gentle and persistent

act of devotion

I can leave a mark

on the hardest parts of the world

perhaps a good poem can do this

perhaps a good poem

can wear away this stone

over our hearts

with some daily devotion

and a few words of praise

Alexander Shalom Joseph is an  award-winning poet, writer and playwright from Gilpin County, and is the author of seven published books. You can find his work and more  information about him at  alexandershalomjoseph.com.