Come and Gone

It little profits me that the road ahead is uncertain, A challenge is a thing often accepted, yet seldom understood, For who I am now, and who I will be Decided with each moment, each struggle, success I cannot rest from an impending fear, A time when I am so young has come, gone, But not a peaceful departure does the child in me leave, For he has grown too fast, forced, pushed, dragged, pulled To a man too early, too early yesterday. The expectations placed on him are not unique,- It is a sad phenomenon, I fear: The children today, asked to adults become as fast they can, And fast they will, to hurry to tomorrow, not stoping to enjoy. I will see that happiness in others, I will teach in mine company the skill to cherish. Icarus, do not fly too close to the sun, Yet do not fly close to touch the raging seas. The wings will not last, indeed! I look across the space and see the faces, The faces of those who have fallen or swam From the glory of a once undisturbed childhood. There are expectations, Icarus- There is a right way,- Hard to find, too often ignored. This is mine own philosophy, I will live vicariously throughout The span which lies ahead, But I know not what to expect, Other than the happiness I see in others. There lies the truth, No matter how we choose to live, There is a part of us which will be happy,- Not at the end, for that is too far, But here and now, we must begin. Come, my friends, ‘tis not too late to seek the adventure we once beheld, And return to the child we once knew, revive them. Forget the common duties placed upon us, And embellish the child with what is missing The time is short, it always is, But it’s what is made of what little we have left- -That will last us a lifetime.