Time

Time, streaming from the present
Always the now in my hands
That should be my focus
Why do I waste it so?

Often dreaded future
That cannot be known for sure
How many days? How many years?
What is left for me?
Will time be kind, or will it vanish
In an instant?
In the blink of a blind eye?
As awareness fades to black.

Beyond me is eternity
Always a present
Until the universe is lost
To age and degradation
A rotted husk of stars
Blackened by age
And separated by distance
Unimaginable
Will the clock stop then?
I cannot say, for I will never witness
The end of the universe
To come.

Looking backward, everything left behind
Faultily remembered
Stories told by others
Some near, some far
Tales written down
Or spoken in words
I know the truth is never full
Not complete, but legendary
The farther I look back,
The more absurd it seems
In the vastness of time past
Of which I was not a part
Or in the plan

Time, precious time.
I must focus on the present.
With an eye to the future
And not dwell on the past

Only the present is somewhat in my control.