Time Has Played Me Hard Poem by Colin Ian Jeffery

Time has played me hard forcing me upon my knees
Wringing hands for all that was and is no more
Weeping tears against grey clouds of loneliness,
Lost within mists of long ago, when time was mine
To use and manipulate as my heart decreed.
Summers long, bright, shared with family and friends
All reaching life's end, grave deep or ashes scattered.
Old age has now claimed my body but not the mind,
Still active, alert as if I were young and robust,
Not held prisoner to relentless ticking of each hour.
Body racked with arthritis, blood-pressure, and gout,
Eye-sight failing, I continue on my journey alone.
Oh, but to hear once more the laughter, sharing happiness
With those I knew and loved, now precious memories.