More than 200 pages of poems and stories
by Linda Ellis! Features the *new* dash poem -- "The Dash Between" (below).
FREE LICENSE: Linda Ellis grants to you a free license to recite the poem below (including author attribution) live in any context, including at funerals, memorial services, and other tributes and ceremonies, and to use the poem (including author attribution) in a non-monetized memorial video for a loved one. License fees for other uses are available below.
The Dash Between
by Linda Ellis copyright 2024
Between the date when we arrive
and the date we go away,
there exists a horizontal line
that captures every single day.
And because these days we're living
seem to vanish in a flash,
we need to make the most of
that special little dash.
We are blessed with opportunities
as we tread the grounds of earth
to build the loving legacy
our own dash will be worth.
To focus on what matters,
not on things we’ve owned or bought,
and smile every chance we get,
and love with all we've got.
For the duties of our daily life --
the job, the house, the cash
affect the way we get to live
our only little dash.
So, appreciate the here and now
as each moment will unfold
because we're never told beforehand
how much time our dash will hold.
Don’t spend this time with worries,
bitterness and fear.
The future may be uncertain,
but right now, your dash is here.
If you need to make some changes,
let this be the day you start --
to make a difference with your life,
show the love that’s in your heart.
For how you spend this life
will someday be defined
by everything that is remembered
in the dash you leave behind.
Copyright 2024 by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between the years.
For that dash represents all the time
that they spent life on Earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own,
the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love,
and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?
This poem is now owned by
Southwestern Family of Companies