...something I posted on another site...
HOURGLASS
Some see it as a countdown clock
Some see it as their fate
Some see it as an urge to live
And others a reason to wait
In spite of the view that each may have
Few can fault the fact
That the sands shall swirl and they shall fall
And none may turn them back
The winds and waters of external world
Can erode each mountain tall
But try as it might this glass respite
Serves as safe shelter for one and all
Sits safe within, each grain of sand
Yet safety is not its role
It logs the length of the life of Man
And for each it slowly tolls
We notice not the initial flow
Our reserve appears unmoved
We care not the pace the pile may grow
For there’s so much more to use
It’s not until the lower glass
Is more burdened than the top
That we finally find the flows too fast
And no power or payment may stop
Some cry some curse some promise all
In an effort to stem the tide
Yet this solid glass maiden refuses to stall
Unmoved is her moving inside
She is the mother of moments contained
Female form that filters time
Each grain can claim my instants retained
Every cherished memory of mine
Once deed is done or victory won
Or lost as the case may be
It separates from inverted cone
Adds itself to a pyramid of me
As the last grain falls
And my second hand calls
When it appears that life’s at an end
I have utmost faith that I'll draw new breath
...flip it over...
...and start again.



