…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 assign to 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 amongst 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