Time Is The Only Gift You Need For Now! Poem by Denis Martindale

Be prepared to lose sleep now and then,
as some thoughts visit the mortal portal by day and by night.
Even when a poet is dreaming a pleasant dream,
each new poem waits for its chance to share itself
with a receptive heart and mind.

Can you follow the fresh thought that springs to mind,
the unbidden phrase and its meandering ways?
Can you build a structured line and verse,
and then improve above and beyond the initial ideas?
Can you switch verses around here and there,
as if dealing with a stream of consciousness,
a river of revelations, wisdom and tranquillity?

Can you challenge the world to reflect once again,
upon its agendas when they lead Mankind astray?
Can you hold on to the truth and not let it fade away?
Can you blossom as a rose in a parched land,
in the presence of godless sentiments and wishful thinking?

Are you that beacon of light upon a dark and dreary night?
Are you the elegance of eloquence, a fountain of faithful themes,
or merely left waiting for your fateful days of declaration?
Are you like a prophet who reasons things out
and opens the glazed eyes of hapless fools?
Is wisdom dormant within you, waiting its moment,
when it springs forth suddenly like a tiger?

You are what you are right now and nothing more
until you set aside the time for revelation,
the time to be trained by scholars, scribes and poets.
Discover how they graced the centuries with their wonders,
their pearls of wisdom and their precious poems.
And then observe that they served their time,
with due consideration for the time each one seemed given.

Time is the friend of the wise but the enemy of the fool.
Time is all you have now, so treasure it while you may,
for once it departs, it is hard to come by again!


Denis Martindale, for the 18th of March 2024.