The Circle

There were cloudless days Sunless days Without so much As a breeze in the air Days when the trees and flowers Slept As I watched the river Sitting frozen still These were my winter days When spring and summer and fall Had withdrawn To another time of life Once I believed this to be A time of peace and tranquility But that was a tale Told by a younger man This was a time Of reflection Filled with formless shapes That appeared in the icy waters A time to prepare In the most gracious of ways My goodbyes And fare-thee-wells I come here often Not to think of my failures But to send them off And let them fade away As I watch the rivers frozen waters Melt away into spring While winter rolls on Waiting to return once again