For what can Man do, 
Except follow its predecessors today? 
Regardless of the path, 
It all ends with the grave. 

Till the heart ceases to beat 
And the hand ceases to move, 
Till the corpse has no heat 
And the mind achieves no feat. 

Yet even beyond the grave 
All men are remembered in some way 
And it is through their ideas, 
Legendary and brave. 

We know not their life, 
We know not their strife, 
At times, we know not even their name. 
But we know what they did. 

A legacy remains. 

It will only follow, 
Through sickness and health, 
Through poverty and death 
In hopes that it can even live to compare 
To the might of those who left it behind. 

 

– Maya Desdemona