Linger

A Poem

Photo by Abdel Rahman Abu Baker from Pexels

time is the one true thing

that will lead us to our ends —

and we know the hourglass

is never really on our side.

*

clocks dredge up seconds

building up to minutes

that create hours inherent

to the creation of days.

*

lines cross your face

like etchings on a map

while your wrinkled eyes

tell stories in their blue hue.

*

you want to tell me

that aging is not a crime

and I would believe you

if there were not tears shed.

*

tomorrow is no guarantee

for you or me or any of us —

but I want to follow you

down this cobbled path.

*

“don’t cry for me,” you say,

but I know those words

are just for dignity’s sake

because an end is in sight.

*

for each moment now past,

you close your eyes and hum

a long-lost melody from memory

as you sink into waves unknown.