Just try and stop it!

from ‘The Placebo Effect’

   

Just try to stop the minute hand

of the grandfather’s clock with your will

or the second hand

on your new shining Rolex.

You cannot believe it! Doesn’t it work?

Yes, buddy: it surely doesn’t.

A stupid thing, a hopeless one, my friend!

Again fiasco, ah?

Similarly, you cannot stop

increasing wrinkles around your eyes

and early hoar-frost on your temples.

Hey, look: even your beard

is getting black-and-white!

Similarly, you cannot stop

the fleeting moments of the summer

which you have waited for so long -

such a transient summer of life.

And now

early fall is waiting for you

in the garden of dreams

of the vernal bloom.

Similarly, you cannot stop the passenger train

or at least change its speed -

the train that is carrying you

to some kind of nowhere:

is it the stop of arrival

or maybe the place of your destination?

It’s death, my friend -

the inevitable end of all your futile expectations.

Just go and get it -

the sooner the better!

And have fun again: that is only the very beginning

of a new galanty show.

Author's Note

'Galanty show' is an old name of the Chinese theatre of shadows.
The metaphor is used to show transience of life in this illusive world.

Reviews

[Divinity Sleeps in This]

This felt like a different style for you, more casual and New York school. One begs to wonder if you were a hedonist in your youth.

[Marie]

This is utterly beautiful. Time cannot be stopped...but it carried you on to another place...
The last line reads "of a new galanty show." I don't know what you meant by "galanty". "galaxy?" Or is there something I don't understand?

[closed..acct]

I must just say WOW!
Such a depth in this write.
Simply well put and beuatiful.

[MOON]

Beautiful poetry , but live as long as you can and as bright as you can , when death knocks another journey , but this one would have been fulfilled.

[Wendy Seames Garner]

Nice piece, Igor. I know something about the hands of time not wanting to stop for me, but I don't know about:

Just go and get it -
the sooner the better!

I intend to live to the ripe old age of 100, there is still so much I want to do.

[...]

. your words have quite an "effect" ... "the inevitable end of all your futile expectations" is an especially amazing line ... it's incredibly profound and perceptive ... and ... of course ... poetic too ...