As the year of Life ticks past
In the Hallway of your mind
You reach the autumn time at last
With golden glow and slower pace;
But in the mirror you will find
White stubble on your face
Like frosted stalks of Brussels sprouts
Seen at the crack of dawn.
Your hair recedes as the light recedes.
Some memories, like holly-berries, blaze
While others slowly fade.
Some friends vanish like the drifting haze
Of charcoal smoke in the glade –
But others replace them
And you sense
Your love for them is more intense.
As the twilight gloam encroaches
With pigeons homing fast
You light the fire of hopes, now smashed,
Which sustained you all summer past.
You watch the pyre implode
As fireworks all around explode.
Smoke and sparks are rife –
Chestnuts roasting on the embers;
In the autumn of your life
Your broken heart remembers.
C. Tim Taylor 2008