Saturday, August 26, 2017

YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW

This poem was written shortly before
my retirement.  I am reminded of the
frantic pace of my life at that time, and
grateful I have reached the age to savor.
Submitted to Poets United Poetry Pantry #368
August 27, 2017



As I speed along the freeway
in the usual morning race,
my thoughts turn back to other times
when life had a slower pace...
when there was time for dreaming
and wriggling my toes in the mud,
and close examination
of each leaf, and flower and bud;
for listening to autumn breezes
as they rustled through fields of grain;
and for smelling the wonderful fresh bouquet
of a late Spring evening rain;
for idling under a shade tree
when no one knew where I was
and studying the intricate mechanics
of what makes bumblebees buzz;
for listening to trills of songbirds
as they flitted from tree to tree;
for looking for four-leaf clovers
in grass like a great, green sea.

It seems now my days are so busy
these pleasures are things of the past
I try to find time for dreaming,
but the time hurries by too fast.
I think of the time when I'm older,
and time on my hands again,
how I'll treasure these special moments
much moreso than I did then.
God in his infinite wisdom
has bestowed a very great favor
What in youth we take for granted
In age we will have time to savor.

**************************
*Photo is my digital art, image credit
to Jesse Wilcox Smith

18 comments:

  1. This was very special to me. Thank you, I had a teacher who taught me the value pf time. Now I spend the long hour trying to take in the minutes so wonderfully spent.

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  2. We do need those times for dreaming.. it's like breathing really. But we also need the work to give a sense of purpose I think.

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  3. So very true - what we take for granted in youth we find time to savor when we are of a certain age. We must never lose that ability to dream....

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  4. What a wise write! I am so thankful for the things I used to take for granted now.

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  5. I am also retired. I love filling my days being a domestic goddess pumping out cinnamon rolls, filling the bird feeders, mopping the kitchen floor...When I worked these were just so much blahblah chores but now...they are true pleasures. A wonderfully wise poem.

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  6. We have less time in front of us than behind us. So every day counts! Thanks for the reminder. I needed it because I'm grieving the end of summer.

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  7. Oh I loved the mechanics of the bumblebee buzz - hope you have time to work it out now

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  8. "She/he loves me, she/he loves me not." Yes, well expressed.

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  9. Ys, retirement grants us a gift of time which we are wise enough to appreciate. I was way too busy during my working life. I so enjoyed this poem!

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  10. What a great way of looking at it! And I enjoyed all the remembered details along with you; thanks.

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  11. I hope the savoring is just as wondrous as you imagined it would be.

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  12. This is beautiful writing. I very much related to the feelings you expressed so wonderfully well here, and I really enjoyed reading this.

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  13. I try to find time for dreaming,
    but the time hurries by too fast...love that...so true!

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  14. It's as though you've read my mind. Love the rhythm and the flow of the poem.

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  15. Love this poem Becky. It describes my own feelings so well. I remember those vey busy days and wonder how I ever did that. Now time is slower. I like the opportunity to appreciate nature more.

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  16. Dolce far niente is an art in itself. After a lifetime of freneticism few retirees rarely slow down. They are as busy as when they were working.Liked your poem.

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  17. It seems now my days are so busy
    these pleasures are things of the past
    I try to find time for dreaming,
    but the time hurries by too fast..

    Love the emotion in these lines!❤️

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