In passing hours,
the clock unwinds,  
as efficiency dissolves
into wasting time
and with idle hands,
the moments slip,  
each second lost,
the clock still ticks…

As they continue to believe
that there is plenty of time
to fulfil and achieve
some sort of half-arsed
productivity?!

©️Lizzie Bevis

Man builds his palaces and fortresses of stone
to last him a thousand years
while clouds drift by that last not long,
as brief as the drop of one tear.

The clouds’ only constant is their change
as they curl into filigrane wisps,
or flocks of white sheep on a blue range,
or black towers wreathed by blitz.

But one day these monuments will topple and fall,
leaving behind only a trace
for future archaeologists who’ll struggle to recall
whatever had been in this place.

The clouds, meanwhile, disperse and reform
in the wandering winds that cover this earth
to tower up high in each new storm
as they constantly repeat rebirth.

You carved our initials
into the tree we kissed under.
It was our first kiss
and you told me you loved met.
I responded in the chirp of the birds
the howl of the wind
the rustle of the leaves.
We drove home in different cars
down different roads
and you found a new home.
I drove back to the tree
my fingers feel your name
and I call out.
I hear your response in the chirp of the birds
the howl of the wind
the rustle of the leaves.

What is love? A quest,
You totally are the best,
Wake me up in bliss,
Takes more than our kiss,
It is beyond sublime,
Stood the test of time,
Better man no love could bring,
You make this heart's bells ring,.
Guess I am still in love,
Love is sign from above.

I walk upon the pathless plains,
A stranger to this ancient field.
I see others walking with canes
And I desperately refuse to yield.
I see roses bloom and their
Lovely thorns speak of doom.
Further on I see roses undressed-
Their petals dead,
Carried on by the wind.
I see babes grown and wed,
Snatched from their mother’s loving breast.
And I carry on with my stroll,
Lest I be carried away with the petals,
By the blowing winds.
Then I hear my father’s laugh,
No longer full of heart,
But full of dust,
And a longing makes its nest
Within my ageing soul.
I see a pond ahead
And its waters reflect a face
My mother has not kissed in years.
It all wells up within me;
The fears of childhood past conjure up,
And the knight with the burning sword,
Does not ride out to save me.
A stranger born
Into this strange garden.
I adorn the crown of fools;
Everything I have wished for has come to pass,
And that is my greatest curse.
Can’t I have one more dance?
One ephemeral moment
With the fleeing wilderness
Of youth?

The ancient oak
wears a cloak
of hoary old bark
and scalloped leaves.

She raises high her limbs,
writes silent hymns
that the nested larks
turn to music with ease.

A thousand years
on this blue sphere
has this oak thrived
under countless moons

aloof from the cares
we people may share:
She’s simply alive
to write her secret tunes.

Time. Slow down just for a moment. I’m chasing after you, desperate not to be left behind. Every second slips through my fingers, no matter how hard I try to hold on. I beg for more, but you only drift further away, gripping my collar as if to drag me onward, ready to let go and leave me behind if I hesitate. Life rushes me through unfamiliar doors, past places I can’t recognize, shedding pieces of myself along the way. Each tick of the clock stirs my fears, a reminder of all that’s slipping away. Hours vanish in the span of a blink. I’m trying, pushing forward, stumbling blindly through the years, fighting to become someone better, grasping for strength. I’m finally seeing my faults, glimpsing my chance to grow, struggling to make up for the seconds wasted and the opportunities missed. But how am I supposed to heal when you haunt my every step? Just one moment, that’s all I need, to catch my breath, to mend the cracks, to become who I long to be. But my pleas go unanswered as you run faster, slipping out of reach. The nights echo with your ticking, a metronome of loss. Dreams once within reach now lie shattered. Can we pause, even briefly? Just let me stand still as you rush by. I need more of you, Time, to keep learning, to keep trying. But somehow, I know there’s not much left.