His glass, his lass, his game of cards
Battling the Hun underneath the stars each night
It suits his fancy
But truth be told, it’s not for real
He never steamed away for the Flanders fields alight
Tommy called him Nancy
 
When he was a younger man     
He had dreams of leavin’ 
But he stood right where he stands
And time is thievin’ 
Now he drowns away the days
With the pints and small talk
But the mirror above the bar
It reveals who you really are

He loved her more than life itself
Her eyes were his ocean, her kisses were his wealth
Decades in roses
The years disappeared; so did her mind
Ev’ry day for ten years he slowed her soft decline
Another romance closes
 
When he was a younger man
He was simply beaming
He was bended on his knee
And her tears were streaming
A little girl, a lovely house
Space age and union
But the choice you make when it’s hard
Reveals who you really are

As days go by, we lose perspective
Netflix and the texting make effective lures
We’re all in season
The days, the weeks, the months - they flow
Faster than the whitewater as our wrinkles grow
Just one more reason
 
Take a tip from one who knows
Use your life or lose it
This never comes again
Tempus fugit
 
© Kurt Riley, 2017.