A While Poem by Bert Bell

This happens to us all and we all learn far too late
that the years have streaked past like wind through city streets
stirring up in its wake whirlwinds of debris and dust
that burn the eyes and fill the pores with dirt
much like the way we live our lives believing we have time
to squander and never seeing that next year and the ones after
it will vanish before us like ravens into the dark night and poof,
they'll be gone.

But hang on, folks did warn us when they said things
like tempus fugit or how time flies or where have all the years
gone, we just weren't listening and we're still not; the difference
is that now we know the years are disappearing fast,
our years, and we also know there is nothing we can do to slow
them down and we certainly can't stop them, and if you're
not as old as I, don't sweat it, in about ten minutes
you will be.

Bert Bell 2016