Breathlessly

Do not hurry,

Tarry a while.

For the flower shall wilt.

The child will grow.

The sun will set

And how many of those have you missed

In a lifetime?

How many have you seen?

Do not hurry, tarry a while.

For wrinkles deepen.

Immortal parents age.

And everyday is uncertainty

Etched in the fabric of our lives.

Do not hurry,

For nothing is ever under control

Even if you believe it is.

Especially if you believe it is.

So tarry a while.

Linger where the dew gathers

On fragile petals the colour of dawn.

Trace the contours of a happy child’s face.

Laugh and dance and wonder

Idly.

Do not live your life in transit.

Rushing in. Scurrying out.

Breathless – for all the wrong reasons.

Days will bleed in a colourless tableau

And when everything around you has changed,

When the child is no more,

And the flower is gone,

And the sun has set

On all that you love,

Then you will know.

You cannot hurry back.

So tarry a while. Take a seat.

Your mother will put the kettle on

While your father talks

And you listen, idly.

There will never be a more beautiful sunset

Than the one you decide to linger,

And watch, breathlessly.

– R x