The Last Time

There's a last time for everything

But you never know when it arrives

Last time you carried them upstairs to bed

Last conversation before someone dies

Last time you drove past that old house

Last time you saw your childhood friend

All these final moments passing unmarked

Because you thought there'd be time to do it again

The last time doesn't announce itself

The last time looks like all the rest

The last time slips by quietly

Just another day until there's nothing left

If you knew it was the final time

Would you have held on longer, paid more attention

Would you have memorized the details

Or would knowing ruin the entire intention

Maybe it's mercy we don't know

Can't live every moment like it's the end

Maybe the weight of recognizing finality

Would crush the present we're trying to spend

Every goodbye could be the final one

Every ordinary moment could be the last

We walk through life assuming continuation

Until suddenly we're standing in the past

Looking back now I can see them

All those last times I didn't recognize

Scattered through the years like landmines

Only visible in retrospect's eyes

The last time I didn't know was the last time

The last time that felt like every other day

The last time I took for granted

Before time took it all away