22.9.08

Lessons learned

Clearly I am getting old
If the night seems right for sleeping
And the noises summon annoyance
And no longer jealousy.

Clearly I am getting old
If the day seems right for working
And time lost is wasted
And no longer savoured.

Clearly I am getting old
If first thoughts seem inadequate
And inspiration must be worked
And not dashed off carelessly.

Clearly I am getting old:
Because there is so much to do,
And time is short,
And expectation has given way to hope,

And what I know most is what I do not know.

4 comments:

An Unreliable Witness said...

This made me very thoughtful.

That's a compliment. Not much written on the internet these days makes me thoughtful. Very little, in fact.

Ani Smith said...

This made me very thoughtful, too. Which is a feat. Because I am incredibly thoughtless.

jem said...

Good one, and one I can relate to. This line especially caught my attention - 'And expectation has given way to hope'

La Bête said...

Made me thoughtful too. And turned an already sombre mood even sombrer. Is that what poetry is supposed to do?

I think in my case, hope has given way to desperation.

I wish I had a sombrero.