“The Perfect Life” by John Koethe

“Youth, divine treasure ”  was the first thought that came to mind while reading “The Perfect Life” by John Koethe. Youth is a state of time when one is considered full of illusion, carefree, cheerful and capable of impacting and/or changing the world. In the poem the protagonist expresses a sense of satisfaction and contentment with his present life. I visualized him as a young man that is full of illusions with ambitions of impacting his world or “little kingdom” with his powers and strengths. Almost like a super hero such as Batman or the Green lantern. However, he is well aware of the cycle of life and comprehends that time is the enemy of all his present dreams, strengths and illusions. He sadly understands that at the end his life will have very little impact on others and will simply be forgotten.