Frederic Parker Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

Contest-Between here and Eternity- sponsor-Sotto Poet 9/29/26

Aging and the Passage of Time

The yearning years of youth have come and gone
passing like a restless wind felt crossing the perfumed days
of time's passage
where precious moments were touched
in endless silent surrender to personal prisons
where the shadows of my youth hide
and ramparts were built for self-preservation
from failed rendered dreams, chased

I bow to the times I've lived and times I have
in gratitude for every breath given to share
along my chosen path with others
as I like them are a visitor
knowing that time cannot be touched or sustained
it can only be endured

how simple it could have been
how complicated it is, to grow old
remembering how it felt like to run
through grassy meadows as a child
living on imagined fantasies and illusions
found in pillowed passing clouds

I have known the beginning of my days
and have measured the middle of my days
to the distance of my rest-filled days
where I'll drift through memories
that may or may not have been real
as I touch my yesterday's full of promise
and lingering desires, that set my eyes aglow
lifting my heart and soul in harmony with exuberance

I look upon the world now with wiser eyes
and try to understand the meaning of it all
for I am a guest born in a world of confusion
where time seems important, and then is not
as I spin on its wheel of endless motion
knowing that when it stops, 
I will be tossed off without notice

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Alison A Smith October 5, 2026 at 1:01 AM This is a reflective free-verse meditation on aging that moves from the restless, defended terrain of youth toward gratitude, acceptance, and an awareness of life’s impermanence. Its long, flowing lines suit the subject beautifully: they create the feeling of time continuing beyond anyone’s ability to contain it. The poem’s emotional progression is especially effective—from “personal prisons” and “failed rendered dreams” to the humble recognition that we are all visitors. Images of grassy meadows, pillowed clouds, ramparts, and the turning wheel give the abstract idea of time a lived, visual presence. The final image of being “tossed off without notice” is stark and memorable, bringing the meditation to an honest, unsentimental close. Congratulations on your contest placement 🌹

sara Etgen-Baker October 4, 2026 at 3:22 PM great contest win...you've addressed agin with depth and profundity Enjoyed!

Alison A Smith September 30, 2026 at 1:54 AM A poignant, meditative free-verse poem that treats ageing as both a private reckoning and a shared human condition. Its long, flowing lines mirror time’s continuous movement, while recurring images of wind, clouds, shadows, paths, and spinning motion create a strong sense of life passing beyond one’s control. The emotional arc is especially compelling: youthful yearning and self-protection give way to gratitude, remembrance, and an unsentimental awareness of mortality. The closing image of being “tossed off without notice” from time’s wheel is stark and memorable, giving the reflection a quietly existential force. Frederic Parker September 30, 2026 at 7:35 AM thank you dear poet, for understanding my poem😊