time

Unbending

I will not yield
to the unbending will of time,
though I know it is a battle
I cannot win

I will do all I can
to ensure what time remains
is as productive as possible -
limiting idleness and waste -

I will treat each minute as a gift
to be treasured,
not bending beneath the weight
of its passing

I will not sacrifice a second,
I will fill my time with life

Callous

why do we hold time so cheap,
while clinging to the material
with desperate fingers;

it cannot be purchased again,
yet we discard it
as children with a toy
that no longer
holds their interest;

what could be more interesting to us
than how we allocate
our time;
this great treasure,
treated as though it were nothing,
we allow for intrusions and thefts –
encouraging them even –

who are we
to be so callous
with time

light has left my eyes,
what was once
a clear blue
has begun to fade to gray;
a firmer gray
litters the beard,
while silver threads
have twisted their way
through my hair,
Time has shown its signs;

there are more dull aches,
more insistent pains,
a constant inventory
of internal nicks
reminding of Time's steady march;

I've never felt better,
never been clearer of mind,
or more vibrant 
in my thoughts,
wisdom being the benefit
of having experienced
the passage of Time