Time's Erasure

 

Behold, within me, change begins to bloom,

A silent tide encroaching, banishing all gloom,

Yet prompting questions deep within my core:

Who am I now? What waits beyond this shore?

This path ahead, still veiled in mists unknown,

Though all things move as if on patterns sown—

A dance of old, endlessly replayed,

While something new within my soul's arrayed

All seems unchanged without, serene, inert,

Yet deep within, a restless pulse, alert.

Yes, with me linger friendships, first and true,

And bonds that intertwined, forever new.

Did they take root within my very soul,

Or do they merely haunt, beyond control?

I swear no novel utterance I've made,

No different truth from my true self betrayed

Yet, O relentless Time, with subtle hand,

You weave your changes through this mortal land.

Unbidden, silently, they seep in deep,

While stolen years in silent slumber sleep.

How many seasons, swift as shadows, flown?

Since first I saw them, have they left me prone?

Have they all drifted, vanished from my sight?

Time whispers low: "They've passed into the night."

Hasten your speech, for truly, they are gone!

That old mirror, once a silver gleam,

Reflecting youth, a long-forgotten dream—

Have you, too, turned distant, dim, and faint?

Is it true, then? Ah, is it truly so?

This cruel unfolding, forcing me to know?

Countless times, I've questioned in my mind,

Peering into that glass, what truth I'd find.

My body, withered, hair a silver spray,

My very mind, it seems, has lost its way—

Yet, with a fragile smile, I meet my gaze,

For Time has etched its story through my days.

My inner musings, unheard by the world's loud throng,

It rushes on, while I stand still and strong.

With tears held back, I seek a fading light,

As Time sweeps by, perhaps a spark takes flight.

Why must I hold my tongue, no voice to raise?

Time, hungry ghost, my very radiance preys!

Days reappear in cycles, ever so,

Merging forms, shifting shapes, a constant flow;

Yet I know, I understand, with clarity:

Not only I am changed, but all eternity.

And so, I ask you, Time—how far your reach?

How long your endless, silent, patient speech?

Why must I linger, still, while you ascend?

For in the end, our paths truly blend,

In the same river's vast, encompassing embrace.

Memories ache, a chill upon my face,

For life has gifted lessons, sharp and deep—

Though journeys end, secrets the earth will keep.

In your last breath, I too shall softly bloom,

A fallen flower, laid upon your altar's tomb.

Stillness descends, a quiet, peaceful reign,

Yet everything transforms, through joy and pain;

From boundless sky to earth, I too partake,

O Time, the truths you whisper, now I take:

Life and death, forever intertwined,

The journey's essence, peacefully defined.

A sigh of sorrow fills my heart, yet in that plea,

A stranger whispers: "Peace to you, and free."

"Time tells its tales, reveals life's brittle truth,"

Each passing moment, a sign of death's soft proof.

Ah, this brief life—like petals cast astray,

A fleeting moment, then it fades away.