Time (a poem)

(I wrote this as my submission to the Muses at The Tenth Daughter of Memory.)

By moon’s silver glow

we hold fast to those

golden threads we spin and cast

out to drag the past behind us.

Time moves on yet here we are

looking back at what follows behind,

caught in the siren song

of what could have been.

“Let go,” Time whispers and folds her hand

over ours as she smiles and we ache

with weariness yet stubbornly cling

to what we know.

“Let go,” she demands and we’re scared

of the insistant command but we listen

and the golden threads slip away into the dark

ocean of forgetfulness.

“Come,” she says and holds her arms

out to us and the moon dances its joy

on the black waves of the past when

we move forward under the cover of Time.

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  1. #1 by Thomas Davis on December 5, 2011 - 11:26 am

    This is an excellently crafted poem. The repetition of “Let go” and the imperative command, “Come,” create a music and sense that gives the poem weight as heavy as the piled up moments of time itself.

    By moon’s silver glow
    we hold fast to those
    golden threads we spin and cast
    out to drag the past behind us.

    What a wonderful beginning to a poem this is.

    • #2 by Celia on December 5, 2011 - 11:46 am

      Thanks Thomas, I appreciate your comment!

  2. #3 by Tonia Marie Houston on December 5, 2011 - 11:34 am

    Gorgeous, truly.

    • #4 by Celia on December 5, 2011 - 11:45 am

      Thanks Tonia 🙂

  3. #5 by Patti on December 5, 2011 - 12:52 pm

    I liked this, Celia. There is some beautiful imagery here. I especially liked these lines: “caught in the siren song/of what could have been.”

    Oh, yes, the incredibly strong attraction of “if only.” I know it well.

  4. #6 by Baino on December 5, 2011 - 6:38 pm

    Ah the siren’s song….and joy on the black waves of the past, I’m not a fan of poetry I must admit but kudos to you for two entries,

  5. #7 by Katherine on December 6, 2011 - 12:23 am

    I like the delicate voice that you use in this piece. It can be hard to let go of the past, but moving forward is the best thing for us, if we are willing. Nice spin on time.

  6. #8 by InsideJourneys on December 6, 2011 - 12:35 pm

    This is so sweet, Celia. It made my evening.

  7. #9 by Celia on December 6, 2011 - 1:07 pm

    Thanks for all your comments, they are great motivators!

  8. #10 by hvninhell on December 6, 2011 - 1:41 pm

    “caught in the siren song of what could have been.” Perfect line!

  9. #11 by brian miller on December 8, 2011 - 1:31 am

    nice…i like the gentleness in times voice, often looked at as harsh, but this was fresh…oh how much we have to let go of so we can move forward…

  10. #12 by she writes on December 8, 2011 - 9:37 am

    “looking back at what follows behind”

    Brilliant, and indeed we are all guilty of this kind of self inflicted suffering at one time or another.

  11. #13 by Bimbimbie on December 10, 2011 - 12:41 pm

    I like this very much, and it has me thinking how easily we let some things go but have a vice like grip on others …

  12. #14 by Tom on December 11, 2011 - 5:20 am

    i never thought about it this way, but i guess we are all living in a time machine, letting the past dictate our steps. nice

  13. #15 by Mxwll on December 12, 2011 - 8:50 am

    Yours is a kinder, gentler Time. I liked that perspective very much. Melodic and reassuring. I like it.

    • #16 by Celia on December 23, 2011 - 3:16 am

      I like to think of Time as being gentle, she gets such a bad rap sometimes!

  14. #17 by JeffScape on December 13, 2011 - 6:46 am

    Of the 10thDoM entries that are poems, this one’s on top.

  15. #19 by Lynn on February 10, 2012 - 12:36 pm

    What an awesome piece of writing.

    • #20 by Celia on February 16, 2012 - 10:50 am

      Thanks Lynn 🙂

Let me know what you think.