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
