And the Time Is: Poems, 1958-2013

And the Time Is

207 And the Time Is We have come to the point of decision, and the hands of the clock say—be careful. We’ve learned from the past that our choices are one or the other or neither, and the hands of the clock say—be careful. We have readied ourselves for the challenge by weighing the odds and the chances of what will result from our choices, and the hands of the clock say—be hopeful. We’re not what we were when we started, and the hands of the clock say—it’s over. Our yesterdays lengthen like shadows that fade when we no longer cast them, and the hands of the clock say—it’s over. Despite what it brings to surprise us, we treasure each day in its passing though we know that we pass as it passes, and the hands of the clock say—discover. We sit on the porch every evening, and the hands of the clock say—be watchful. We study the leaves in their turning from green to vermilion to purple, and the hands of the clock say—be watchful. While we stare at the sky in its vastness and name every star in the distance, we dwindle to scale in the balance, and the hands of the clock say—be grateful. The dead come to life in our living, and the hands of the clock say—remember. 208 The words of a prophet keep haunting the ones who ignored him when living, and the hands of the clock say—remember. The world that we think is around us is neither before nor behind us but always within us, within us, and the hands of the clock say—forever. ...