I tried in vain to seize the day
It slowly slipped away
I grasped at life with all my heart
And found she would not stay
Dear babes I once held here in my arms
Now big strong boys of youth
My bosom no longer, their sweet happy home
A sad and wrenching truth
The feelings of my childish past
The times so light and free
Like trying to grasp a twisting fish
They quickly slipped from me
My youth which sprang just like a tiger
And pounced with all its might
Now rises ever so slowly
At dawns first break of light
Dark wavy hair crashing over my brow
Now sports a tinge of gray
Once proud ranks which guarded the crown
Now slowly slip away
Nothing I say and nothing I do
Commands the halting of time
The sun won’t fail to rise up again
The moon won’t refuse to shine
Slipping away, slipping away…tell me whither to?
Lost and gone forever? Or merely passing through?
Surely it’s all invested, in a future perfectly styled
Withdrawn from my own account
And deposited in that of my child
IT IS NOT LOST! It’s waiting…
To spring in eternal day
When time at last has come for me…
To softly slip away
David Kettler
This is one of those sorta downer poems about growing old. I can’t remember when I wrote this one either. It must have been in the late ninety’s because my boys were big and strong and my hair was already slipping away. That is my favorite line…”Once proud ranks which guarded the crown, slowly slip away.” I like the idea of the hairline being a row of soldiers guarding the “crown.” And then think of them slowly retreating towards the back of the head. I also like the thought of withdrawing from my account and depositing in that of my child. I’m pretty sure that my Mom helped me with a couple of the lines at the end of this poem and I want to thank her for the help she often did in editing and suggesting on many of my poems.
It slowly slipped away
I grasped at life with all my heart
And found she would not stay
Dear babes I once held here in my arms
Now big strong boys of youth
My bosom no longer, their sweet happy home
A sad and wrenching truth
The feelings of my childish past
The times so light and free
Like trying to grasp a twisting fish
They quickly slipped from me
My youth which sprang just like a tiger
And pounced with all its might
Now rises ever so slowly
At dawns first break of light
Dark wavy hair crashing over my brow
Now sports a tinge of gray
Once proud ranks which guarded the crown
Now slowly slip away
Nothing I say and nothing I do
Commands the halting of time
The sun won’t fail to rise up again
The moon won’t refuse to shine
Slipping away, slipping away…tell me whither to?
Lost and gone forever? Or merely passing through?
Surely it’s all invested, in a future perfectly styled
Withdrawn from my own account
And deposited in that of my child
IT IS NOT LOST! It’s waiting…
To spring in eternal day
When time at last has come for me…
To softly slip away
David Kettler
This is one of those sorta downer poems about growing old. I can’t remember when I wrote this one either. It must have been in the late ninety’s because my boys were big and strong and my hair was already slipping away. That is my favorite line…”Once proud ranks which guarded the crown, slowly slip away.” I like the idea of the hairline being a row of soldiers guarding the “crown.” And then think of them slowly retreating towards the back of the head. I also like the thought of withdrawing from my account and depositing in that of my child. I’m pretty sure that my Mom helped me with a couple of the lines at the end of this poem and I want to thank her for the help she often did in editing and suggesting on many of my poems.
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