Ephemeral Immortality

Photo: Rushing to see what lies beyond the bend...

We were immortal

You and I

The universal equalizer

Was the alibi

Of those who simply

Let it slip

Youth’s effervescent thread

Would never

Languish in our grip

Yes,

That is what we said

But Time is a great Teacher

Its lessons

Keen and hard

Instructing mortal creature

With blatant

Disregard

For illusions of stubborn pride

Or foolish wantonness

It draws us in an ethereal tide

And bittersweet

Caress

We thought we were immortal

We were wrong

The echo of youth’s fancy-free

A jaded song

For we have joined

The meeker ranks

Of middle-age

Where now we turn

With humble thanks

Each

Gifted page

…but when we were immortal

It was bliss

The lure of life’s eternity

A rousing kiss

Spawning the dream

That taught us how

To fly with blind-faith trust

But now we see

Mortality

Life’s little

Dust to dust

For Time is a wise Teacher

She tutors patiently

Each child; we all are children

In lessons

On her knee

And she does not play favorites

Nor spare one from her touch

As we learn to live, laugh and love

And not

Worry

So much

© Janet Martin

I have another photo I took moments before this one with another story attached to it.