a poem: “…is that joy is ever fleeing to the past”

Ordinarily I don’t publish so much poetry at Theoria-press, and instead try to provide mostly essays with an odd poem or sonnet occasionally interspersed among them. But the Muse’s visits have outstripped my ability to keep pace with prose pieces so readers who prefer essays should peruse the archives of this site, which are replete with them.

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GENEROUS is life, a well that overflows
brimming with object lessons and teachings
every experience he undergoes
and every goal he fails in reaching
each contains some knowledge to bestow
each leaf a sermon, each stone a preaching
so both of them upon the waters cast
one will sink, another bob temperately
one lesson that your eyes have taught to me
is that joy is ever fleeing to the past
and each time I look in them may be the last
those words are hard to hear, yes that may be
but it seems I must give up sight to see
and even then, can only see what’s passed
so fill my cup from that well, I’ll drink deep
in my mouth it may taste bitterly
but in my belly sweet, for what too cheap
I attain, I never value properly
so now for everything I long to keep
I wish to pay with every part of me
in exchange for loving boundlessly

Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash