Living In The Past

The meeting of two eternities, the past and future....is precisely the present moment. - Thoreau

i'm so broken

i don't even know where the pieces fit anymore

i've tried everything

zip ties

tape

velcro

bloody nails

band aids

even tears and spit with superglue

i'm walking a tightrope with one slipper and one shoe

wondering which is false and which is true

not even kneeling in a pew will do

help me

give me a clue

remind me of what i once knew

what am i to do

the days are so few

the night only knows how to turn the screw

things have gone so askew

i'm swallowing without taking time to chew

the book of my life is long overdue

maybe the witch was right

black is white

definitely is might

left is right

loose is tight

or perhaps i'm just not that bright

yes, that must be it

i don't even know how to fly a kite

let alone turn right at a red light

i'm too polite

too trivial and trite

too gloomy

expecting rain in shining sunlight

the music's the same but the dance has changed

the deckchairs rearranged

come to think of it

now that you ask

maybe it's true that the last shall be first and the first last

i guess i'm just living in the past

Author's Note

"It is strange to talk of miracles, revelations, inspiration, and the like, as things past, while love remains." - Thoreau

* All due credit to Jethro Tull for the song "Living In The Past"

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Stuck in a rut comes to mind here Pete. Like a stylus in the same groove. Some great lines here and a sadness that some people find themselves living their lives in the past. Takes much courage to change direction.

Chris

[Pete]

thanks chris. yes - we can sound like broken records revisiting the same things over and over ... :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

This is a wonderful piece of poetry, Pete. It really says a lot about not being able to move forward in life. The ties of the past being constricting and restraining progress. Thank you for sharing.

[Pete]

sure does. if we go there too many times there is a danger that we may never make it back. not a good place to dwell for sure ... :)

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

Walking a tightrope with one slipper one shoe, - that line made me think and chuckle.

This poem had a lot of good lines and spoke volumes. I really liked the beginning.

[Pete]

thank you cvd. yes, one slipper and one shoe - walking a tightrope is hard enough let alone with mismatched footwear ... :)