Now And Eternity Poem by RIC BASTASA

i have to content myself
with temporary reliefs thinking that it gives me
an extension of time
a pinch of this salt
a crumb of pearl
a grain of sugar

to walk with life and not stop
as it goes on alone with its journey even without me,

i shut the window of eternity
and please myself with what is so temporary in my room
on my pillow that rests my head
in sweeter sleep

there are fewer tears shed rather than the anxieties that go
with living beyond what i still clasp within my hands
my fingers still fidgety
over what is next

i know what is there beyond me but you cannot blame me
for settling for less
because it is too far yet and here i am
still bouncing with the pinkness of my age,
the reddish cheek that i still have
on my face

the wild thoughts that like horses in the pastures of my mind

in short if eternity is true
and the sacrifice is too much

i guess i have to take it later
and for the meantime settle with the
whiteness of this chicken egg
at the center of the scarlet
table
waiting for my hungry mouth
to eat

there is a time for everything
do not blame me for grabbing what is now
this relevance
and touchable
hardness

this is the moment that may take me there
who knows?