There Was a Time

Image: GPoulsen @ Pixabay

There was a time
Not so long ago, 
When you would have seen me blaze
Before the constant grind,
And the dry remorseless winds of life,
Had sorely worn me down. 
Now, I seem afraid
To live at all. 
Shrunken in this shell, 
Broken by the many hells
I’ve been too often forced to see. 


But...

There was a time,
Not so long ago, 
When you would have been amazed
At the summits I had climbed. 
And the echoes of my strident cries, 
Was as a ringing sound
That oh so many craved.
But now my call
Is as a solemn knell. 
And no-one hears me tell
Of all the places I have been. 

Of course…

There was a time, 
Not so long ago, 
When my witty talk would raise,
A roof with merry chimes
Of laughter. With me no tearful sighs
Or bitter, ugly frowns.
But those were better days. 
And now I am a fool. 
Whose soul I’d gladly sell 
For just a chance to dwell 
Back before when I was free. 

And yet...

There was also a time. 
Not so long ago.
When my life was as a cage,
And perhaps not quite so fine,
As the glamour of my memories try
So slyly to expound. 
The truth is, it's a haze. 
A halcyon and cruel
Mirage that worked its spell. 
So, maybe, just as well,
Now all that is behind me. 

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