Time Poem by cahen thrips

The man as a boy climbed onto
the high parapet of a bridge,
threw a stick into its raging river,
ran to the opposite side to catch
it emerging from the timbered arch
but the stick had vanished.

The man as a youth leaned on
the chipped parapet of that same bridge,
threw a stick into the swift-flow river,
scrambled to the other side to catch
it emerging from the stone arch
but it too had vanished.

The man as a husband held his
child on the low parapet of the bridge,
threw a stick into the slow river,
carried his child to the far side to catch
the stick emerging from the brick arch
but it had also vanished.

The husband as a widower held on
to the broken parapet of that bridge,
dropped a stick into the drying river,
crept to the other side to catch
it emerging from the metalled arch
and four sticks came into view.