Living Time

By living in the moment time is wisely spent, But our own expectations mean that time is lent To other’s paths, who frequently without consent, Regard our missing time as theirs and pay no rent, A vacuum left whenever we are heaven bent To shield ourselves from joining life’s experiment. To really join life’s game you must demand your due No dancing by yourself and when the day is through You’ll find that what you’ve gained is more than what you knew And someone else has shared what you now know is true No longer left alone with melancholy view Your former skins just shells, that somehow you outgrew. And when at last you find you’ve turned life’s final page, Oh, when the day arrives you truly act your age Your expectations now no longer share the stage Your happiness no longer bound by self-made cage, The fears and guilt all vanish no man can assuage, New heights and depths flung open that you’ll never gage. Brian Johnston July 18, 2015