Non Sum Qualis Eram Poem by Alan S Jeeves

I am not now the one I used to be.
Time has changed me, as to everyone it does;
I am a divergent wight now, as you see,
My soul has become so much more infinite
And so, with contrasting ideas I now agree.

That one I used to be I am not still.
I am no wiser despite the fleeting years;
Though I exist in the hope that until
(Or that time comes when I am able)
All my aspirations I may yet fulfil.

There was a time when I saw things very clear
Though that is not exactly so today.
There was a time when I held things very dear
But now that I am older, I admit my concerns -
Though when I was young, I harboured no fear.

I now view friends in a different way;
Without them what would a person's existence be?
Without them what would be left to say?
Even if, at times, you disagree with friends
You keep them close, as your allies, for another day.

So, the one I was I no longer am,
Although my own god has survived intact.
Other mortals' idols I no longer damn -
As each and every one of us has his own convictions...
Non sum qualis eram