Decline

 

Entered the maze of memories

and retraced steps seeking

a clear pool of the familiar

and the unchanged, for the tired soul

to drink strength from,

so it could carry on…

 

Lost bearing in the dimness and

lost footing blinded by cobwebs

and fell through to the past…

 

Looked around and saw

the familiar had declined

and time had corroded

the contours of things and people

into obscure contorted masses.

 

The reserve of strength hoped for

had run dry from years of munificence

and I didn’t have enough

of what it needed to resuscitate.

 

I sat a few moments in its embrace

and left lighter than I’d come

with a promise that soon

I‘d come back holding

the tiny hands of the future

for one last hug.