Cotidie Damnatur Qui Semper Timet

the man who is constantly in fear is every day condemned (Syrus) Photo in public domain from wikipedia, contributed from the Department of Defense

 

 

I wish I could kill Time;
Throw myself in vicious anger and bellows
Into it's waves with short stabs and pounds
Of swords pummeling it's inside and outside,
I wish I could kill Time and all its comrades,
Sir Blissful Hope of sephia scenes brought
Forth from the Golden Age but also the raging
Grief and anxious eyes, coffee-strained,
Tear-drained because of the fear that my
Father won't come home today and I pray
To God, I'm on my knees again, not serene,
Just mad with thanks and desparate and sorry
And melancholy as I think how close he was to pain,
Speeding down M2 twenties and five,
Coming down like the rain,
In every serve and dive of life
The thoughts pound my head;
I wish I could kill Time. 

Reviews

[Drifting Blue]

The frenetic pace is what makes this very good. I can feel the fear and anguish in this, the love as well. I love the latin title. It's was brought me here. I'm also glad you translated it because it was a little different than what I thought it was. Really, you have a great way of bringing the reader into your intensity, something that is harder to do in poetry and in prose. Great work.

[Rick Puetter]

Dear Jaff,

This is a very nice poem. I love poems that start out with a wonderful idea such as "I wish I could kill Time". With such a start, the boundarys move back to infinity. This creates an open palette. Then you seem to make it personal. It's the waiting as a young boy for your father. It is not exactly clear why this is a particular concern, but the emotion is felt strongly. Was there an actual accident that happened? We don't know. But I think we all know the angst of waiting for someone long overdue without a known reason.

A very nice poem. Kindest regards,

Rick

[Damian Alan Gray]

Jaffa, you've really managed to out-do yourself with this one. Absolutely astounding work! There were a couple of instances where I would have changed the wording a bit, but that's just a matter of flow preference and makes little difference to the overall emotion of the poem.