Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Time Thief















There’s this man I’ve come to know
he stops each day to say hello
he stays for just a little while
with gentle voice and ready smile.
The Time Thief’s taken quite a lot
so many things now he’s forgot;
and though he still recalls the past
he isn’t sure what he did last.
His lovely wife arrived here first
and he, for better or for worse
came to join her, followed suit—
unhappy, yes,  but resolute.
 He struggles now to understand
this place he’d never thought he’d land.
His voice grows quiet, fades away…
forgetting what he wants to say.
a shadow furrows his thin brow,
then he returns to here and now.
He smiles, then he says “goodbye”
and turns to leave without reply.
The Time Thief watches from the wings,
knowing that he pulls the strings.
He lies in wait to take away
all that we would do or say.
He scrambles thoughts and spits them out
and he is, without a doubt,
the worst threat to the elderly
…unable to just let them be.
Yet for moment on this day,
we held the evil thief at bay.


© Ginny Brannan 2018

1 comment:

  1. So poignant, Ginny. So true. Every Saturday I go to Quaboag On The Common nursing home to do letter Witnessing with a sister who is now a resident and unable to take part in the door to door ministry. These residents were all children, many have had children and long and full lives. It is heartbreaking to see what time robs them of. You are an artist with words.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for reading my poetry and sharing your thoughts.