Time

Time ticks on tiptoes into dusk and dawn,
As ev’ry tock becomes a yesterday,
And ev’ry hand propels tomorrow on.
 
The measure of its minutes paves the way
Towards uncertainty yet understanding,
Whilst we along the road less travelled stray.
 
No matter how extended or demanding
The course may seem on sore and shuffling feet,
Time hour by hour progresses notwithstanding.
 
And echoed in the metronomic beat
Significantly sounding from the heart,
Time loops on end, though seldom on repeat.
 
With ev’ry sun e’er comes another start
To go the distance of its stately arc,
Time firmly at our backs in his winged cart.
 
With ev’ry moon e’er comes a solemn dark
With reminiscence of the day gone by
With which time aids us aim towards the mark.
 
And swirling through the trees, across the sky,
The wispy whispers of the wind relate
Ours is no more to do as ’tis to die.
 
The telltale heart and steadfast hands of fate
At steady rate the glassy granules pour
Onto the floor, as time for none would wait.
 
Time is an ocean, ending at the shore,
The ebbing tide reflecting pride and sorrow
From our cathartic knowing of the score.
 
Time is a gift for us to merely borrow,
And savour ev’ry second of the fun,
Lest empty pass into the last tomorrow.
 
We e’er must walk before we learn to run,
And e’er must down the winding road press on
To properly declare our purpose done.
 
For killing time may be so lightly drawn,
Yet time kills us in stages ’til we’re gone.

-EDP

Reviews

[Ranger Kessel]

I enjoyed this. Archaic? Maybe. Doesnt matter if it has substance. I often take liberties with form and it feel like I do okay. Read it twice. Nice job

[emipoemi]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. (and exactly! Archaic presentation shouldn't matter as long as it has substance.)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Not a big form fan in general because it often can seem forced into a pattern. But this poem had me so focused on the theme, the words, the rhymes passed right by me almost unnoticed.
Time for each individual, time for the world itself...it just keeps finding itself in the rear-view mirror.
And we all keep driving on.
Nicely done, emipoemi.
j.

[emipoemi]

"but at my back I always hear Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near" eh? lol I make it a purpose in my work to show the world that metric verse still has a pulse, and people are giving it a bad rap just because it's "archaic" (of course, I write Free verse as well, but mostly metric). Those who had turned you off it might have just been severely untaught or outright bad. It all comes down to the craft in the end, no? But thank you so much for reading (and your comments). Glad you enjoyed the poem.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

You are a rare exception for me, emipoemi---
my dislike for those forms began back in 1966 in high school...but there were always exceptions, even then.
j.

[emipoemi]

good to know. Thanks again for stopping by.

[CD Campbell]

Nice. Terza Rima. I like how you completed the circle with the last two lines rhyming with the A of the ABA. Not a fan of contractions in modern poetry as they are archaic in use, though in this instance it fits with the form and in it's frequent use it shows that it's not a crutch, but intentional to display a certain gravity of the subject. 31 views and no reviews. Not surprised. This is one of those forms most poets should have at least cut their teeth on in their earlier years, but it is hard to write and hard to maintain some type of semblance of art without it looking and sounding clunky. Which this does not. No I will not post mine. Do not ask. Great work.

[emipoemi]

It's definitely hard to write (up there with a Villanelle and a Sestina in difficulty), but it merely needs the proper theme, and time was the perfect theme to attempt the form as it very well "loops on end, though seldom on repeat". So it was a fun experiment to see where I could take that concept. And you may not be a fan, but contractions do come in handy in certain occasions. Just because something is archaic, doesn't make it obsolete, right? But I'm glad you saw that mine fit the tone and language of the poem, and were still able to enjoy it. Thanks for reading! (when you get the hang of yours, I would very much like to read it).