Days of Yore

It was a road I crossed long ago
I was a young boy going forward
My body wiry
My touch sensitive
My thoughts, an endless, wandering stream

It is only now, and with great trepidation that I remember
Fortitude, a vanishing perception
Held by others, never me
Me, but a part of the wind
that time is certain to blow over

Friendships, so bountiful they were
Forged in summers that would never end
Strengths, they lied in each other
Weaknesses, they just lied
And now, with half my life gone, I realize they still do

In every picture I see lives a place
Every place, a memory past
Mine, I stuffed in my pockets long ago
Sometimes forgetting where they were
Finding them, only to forget what they were for

There are nights when I hear the breathing of a cold, surly wind
So bountiful its grasp
So barren its grace
Still, I cup my hands together
For maybe, just maybe, they are not too old to fill

There are days when the mirror is but a running hourglass
I no longer take note of what was once a mother's pride
Instead I take heed of the indulgence showing its wear
Like the creases of laughter, both deep and futile
I exist - a simple stain of time

And through it all the music plays onward
Soft, loud, I pay it no mind
For the dance I dance is now a placid one
To a melody forever changing,
and lyrics, I remember not

Still, I see the shadows of all I once fancied
I hear the sounds they carry too
But like a forgotten lover's whisper
They cry out in vain
Stranded, just as I am when I turn and walk away

But I'll keep searching to find something more
Bound only, perhaps, to the depths of the search itself
And the distance one has to trave,
Never knowing just how far to go
For a discovery that remains likely no.