I hear the Now Clock ticking

on this last stretch of life that goes

downhill to where I haven’t yet been.

I’ve seen others pass this way, diminished,

invisible in lonely margins beyond a use-by-date.

Tick tock.

‍

Can I rewind this clock, turn it back?

Can I carry gnawing grief beside gratitude,

find courage in what lies ahead?

What of fear, loneliness, illness and silence,

those unfulfilled dreams, regrets? Do I care?

Tick tock.

‍

Is it time that runs out, or because I can no

longer run away, that I don’t recognise this

Self as I seek alternatives that don’t exist.

I listen to the Now clock ticking on the wall.

Watch others listening too on their slippery path.

Tick tock.

‍

The end point is there, somewhere

around that looming bend. I live by the Now Clock –

not Tomorrow’s or Yesterday’s, giving

thanks for being here with you, for sharing

this pulsating, breath-filled gift: Now.

Tick tock.

‍

Wherever my path takes me from here –

let’s hope I’m wiser in this Now realm

than the younger me when ticking tocking

passed by softer than a breeze. But I have

no need to turn back time … my time is Now.

Tick tock.