"Fifty Years On ..."
"Time moves slowly but passes quickly."
My first exposure to poetry came in the form of music. I was absorbed by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Lennon/McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison.
Later, as a Lit teacher, I was taken by poets Rudyard Kipling, John Donne, W.H. Auden, Lewis Carroll, T.S. Eliot, and, of course, Shakespeare.
I recited Donne's Holy Sonnet 10 ("Death be not Proud"), written in 1609, to conclude my eulogy for my son Christopher 3 1/2 years ago. I was reminded of Donne’s profundity in personifying Death and predicting life eternal:
“One short sleep past, we wake eternally.
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.”
So I’ve decided to take a shot at it. Here I present a reflection on the past 50 years as I traveled time from an idealistic teen to a greying but grateful sexagenarian …
“Fifty Years On …”
Looking through the window of memory's gaze,
At unlocked time, so tranquil those days.
No screens to face, no ponderous beeps,
Just treasures shared in whispers and sleeps.
A slower age … where time had no pace,
No rush, no hurry, no calendar to chase.
Life unchained, and lived without fear,
No dissonant noises, no intrusions too near.
Dawn settled gently, unburdened by strife.
A time to bathe in all the colors of life.
Then, in a flash — fifty years gone by!
Quickly now … a pause … an unfeigned sigh.
Progress came with its modern alarms,
Swiftly, finally, we’re wrapped in its arms.
As technology's grip tightened its hold
It blurred the spaces where stories are told.
The world grew smaller and horizons shrank,
Conversations now locked in a digital bank.
As we gained speed we lost something dear,
The simplest charms, our affections sincere.
And though we may want for days of old,
We bear the future, whatever it unfolds.
For all remembrances, the bitter and sweet,
Are all the things that make the journey complete.
So let us stop, resound on the past,
Hold true to memories so they'll forever last.
For fifty years on have taught us to see
Life is ever-changing, only the moment is free.
— “Fifty Years On …” by Jim Geschke (Feb. 2024)
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Jim Geschke was inducted into the prestigious Marquis Who’s Who Registry in 2021.
"the moment is free"
waves in the wind
on the flag
of your own private country
your tender words
show sorrow and change
bear remarkable children
I don't often read poetry. But I do enjoy songs. However, your poem kind of hits home. We are the same age, and it made me pause to reflect. Almost daily I ask myself "How did time go by so fast"?