Behind me, I hear
The receding roar of years
It sends chills down my spine
Beads of sweat pop up on my brow
What did I do all these years?
Did I sleep through half my life?
Hibernating in my burrow
Did I keep the promises vouched?
Live up to the resolutions made?
Could I light a fire in gloom?
Did I wipe a tear?
Could I bring a smile to anyone dear?

For me, no more sprinting steps
Feeling awkward and unsure
With a fast withering torso
I look on to the track ahead
As the race winds down
And the final turn in sight

Once my life has been a round of cheer
But no more can I cling onto those days so dear
‘Much have I seen and known’
Yet how little!
To what all places I have been!
How much joy and pain shared!
How many dreams I dreamt!
Now in this paling light, I stay
Brooding over joys missed
Conjuring unfulfilled longings
Coiling back all the way to the start

I am an autumn leaf
Now turned red,
And about to shed
As the world goes wheeling through
Somehow I am pushing ahead
Waiting for that tightening grip
Of an unknown caller’s powerful fist!
How am I going to respond to it?
With regret or delight
I am not sure

Do the journey that lies ahead
Take me to a sunlit abode
Oh, don’t ask me
I am not quite sure!