Sands of Time

Winner of the Bronze medal in the NY Literary magazine https://nyliterarymagazine.com/contests-for-poets-and-writers/winners-of-the-ny-literary-magazines-august-2016-poetry-contest/

We meet many men of sorrow

so much deeper than our own pain

Wisdom and strength they all borrow

washed by waters of life's own rain

Each of us ponders life's reason

looking deep within our own soul

We follow each path and season

that vainly we seek to control

The sands they burn up like cinder

that has trickled our fingers through

Each hope, our time does now hinder

what wasn't, we find is now true

Chase not the rung of the ladder

that will place you above the rest

When alone what will it matter

if a loveless life, you attest

So small the pain of his distress

whose earnings don't tell of his worth

An honest man, this life will bless

no matter his fortunes at birth

 

Author's Note

I meant this to be an endearing piece to honor the struggles of life. It has been an observation of my own life that the men I valued most seemed to own the least. This is so true that I cannot deny it. I imagine it was true life struggles that gave to them their great nature. I simply wish to shine the light upon our own misguided ways. The worship of the almighty dollar has never tucked a child into bed. Nor held the hand of a grieving woman. Money cannot buy love. Nor can it manufacture it. The reason the son of a rich man can wreck a 50,000 dollar car and think nothing of it is simple. To him that is what his father was willing to pay to placate the son. In the mind of the child the car is what the father is giving him to replace the time he doesn't have for him. So since the child's life is not important to the father neither is the car valued by the son.

Reviews

[AprilRN1210]

I love the messages in this piece... Life isn't about how much money you make, how many things you achieve, it is about the relationships you have made, the lives you have touched.... We struggle through life, searching for meaning, for answers, for worth, yet never realize that it is in that struggle an the lives we touch that shows our worth... it is priceless, and should treasured.. take the time to share and learn the wisdom with others, cherish loved ones, and enjoy the simple things.. The sands of time will pass you by in a heartbeat if you do not take advantage of those hidden opportunities to learn, grow, appreciate life and pass this precious gift on to others... As always I love your work.. this is one of my favorites..

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Time is our most prized possession as it cannot be replaced and runs out like an hour glass.As I tell my son "Tate the value of a man is not held by what he owns but lies in what he gives to others."

[AprilRN1210]

exactly.. couldn't agree more:)
you're more than welcome.. always enjoy your work..

[Mauricio Montoya]

well you never fail to amaze me with your work.
Excellent write.

[realmwriter]

No truer a word has been sppoken...well... maybe He Only Left You Basic Intructions Before Leaving Earth...If you believe that. I too have know pain such as this poem speeks of, and I too have known love, such as this poem reeks of. I try to pen these sentaments from time to time but every word and every line just seems muddeled when I read back over the thoughts that spew from the pen I knew I could r=write them with. I try to say what this piece does, but alas, I fear I do no justice to the sentiment. You sir have perfectly captured what I try to express and I am in aw of your talent, GOD GIVEN, I am sure...

[Susanna F]

Wonderful. "
No man could be called a lost soul
whose help to another, he lends
The shoulder he gives, to console
will earn him a life, full of friends..."

I totally agree.

[LadyNaida]

This is so true. I love this part:
"So small the pain of his distress
who's earnings don't tell of his worth
An honest man, this life will bless
no matter his fortunes at birth".

Beautiful!

[sharonlee]

Haunting... yet uplifting and wise...enjoyed reading this.....

[Suzanne C. Suber]

So very true. Those of us who have experienced hardships are able to relate & those who as yet have not... pay heed.

[Christina May Shanaberg]

This one went to my library. Truer words were never spoken; both, the poem and your author's note.

I was fishing on a pier, early one summer morning. I was fishing for pleasure. There was another woman there fishing, wearing very tattered clothing. She was fishing because of need. She told me her story. Her husband had died and she was left with four children to raise. After I gave her my fish, she invited me to come to her home for coffee; it was more like a shack. Her children were all sleeping on the floor in a single room with no door. She gave me a pair of earrings that she had made from seashells. However, I kept one and gave her one back to always remember our meeting. I still have mine and I cherish it. A few days later, I returned to her house to give her children some of my kids extra things, because she had told me that their blankets had been fished out of the trash dump. She was gone without a trace, but I will never forget her courage and generosity!

[Rossen]

Tear forming breathless read for me, way to connect Tate.
You have heart and enough to share with whole world...


Rossen

[Stephanie Slayer]

Oh wow this is wonderful