Time’s Eternal Kiss

By John Herlihy

What have we done with time?

It slips through our fingers, no longer mine.

Always an effort to make haste,

How many precious moments do we waste?

The four seasons never waste a moment;

They come, they conquer, they make their mark.

Winter’s icy frost feels no need for atonement,

While spring’s renewal is heralded by a lark.

The ocean passes the time in tidal play

Wears down the rocks, washes the shore away.

The waves roll, crest, then disappear,

Fulfilling time’s promise, it holds each moment dear.

Time’s road will always lead us somewhere,

But it will never lead us back,

Even if we have a wealth of memories,

That we wish to retract.

Dawn’s hush harkens the awakening of day;

Twilight’s blush in tribute gives the day away.

At daybreak, dreams remembered, in dawn light born;

At day’s end dreams forgotten, from twilight torn.

Dawn’s moment always passes, no longer around;

Like the wind, puff, not wishing to be found.

Time’s moment lost with all that we miss;

Time’s moment regained with its eternal kiss.

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(c) John Herlihy December 2018