Hmm, just as I begin to enjoy life,
Sucking the juice from its marrow—
Time speeds up.
The light folds into dusk.

Where have you gone,
My early dawn?
The thrill of youth,
Sundered by the slave-master: Time.

Now aged, I watch—
Children bring chaos,
Minutes stretch to hours,
Hours into days, days into weeks,
Weeks into years.
Time slows in every boredom.

The blandness,
The aching body,
Inside and out—
Forcing curses on life.

And again, when joy visits,
Its visit is brief.
Time, I hear you laugh from your throne,
While we mortals stumble,
Repeat,
Never learn.

You are not our friend,
But a trickster,
A false companion
With a dagger behind your back.

I know now—
But too late.
Alas.