…ironically, is timeless

Time slips imperceptibly away
we never notice it passing nor hear its invisible sands
whispering in the shifting shadows
as unseen it trickles slowly through the hourglass
and time emerges unexpectedly
like an assassin from the darkness, wielding its many weapons
seeking its prey in silence
the definition of an apex predator
it rules over all, it can never be captured, it can never be killed
extinction is not a consideration
for time, ironically, is timeless
the minutes follow the seconds
the hours follow the minutes
the days follow the hours
the months follow the days
and the years, the years they stretch for centuries
longer than imagined time
these units we assignto blocks of time
are meaningless
just as we allocate days and months and years, to life
as we dabble in trends and expectations
frailty and fortitude
wishing away the here and the now
to reach an imaginary marker
blind to the centuries of evidence
the evidence of our own impermanence
as we cling to the myths of giants
of the strong versus the weak
how we presume the mild and the meek
to be lacking in fortitude or visible desires, unfit for longevity
we cleave to the fantasy of fear
assigned to the giants among beasts
blind to the reality, that often all that it takes
is an unexpected encounter with an unrelenting assassin
for both nature and time have armies of all persuasions
and they never sing of their conquests
or parade the spoils of war
in reality, time rules over all from its invisible dark domain
assigning deadlines and extensions at will
and is never obliged to meet expectations
for at any time and in any place
with or without a reason
a life can be saved from falling by an unseen hand
or extinguished like a candle in the wind
© Ann Bagnall