Once upon a time
In a place not too forgone
I asked a man about my life
And his answer was quite wrong.
“How old are you little one?
No older than 15.
You want to know about your life?
Then why are you asking me?
Your life is something special you see
It’s not something that can be explained.
If you can figure out the meaning of your life
Then you aren’t thinking quite straight.
You are still young,
Enjoy it now, because it will go away
If you want know about your life
Give it time to fall in place.”
Ten years later at 25,
I saw this man again
I once again approached
Frustrated with what he said.
“You told me to give life time
And it would fall in place,
Well now I am 25
And my life is lost in space”
He looked at me
With calm blue eyes
But laughed beneath his breath
He slowly held up his hand and this is what he said;
“You’re 25, stop stressing son
You’ve still got much to learn
I told you once, and I’ll tell you again
You have yet to take the turn.
Stop focusing so much on your life
It’s time to let that go
Think about where you are
And how to get where you need to go.
Once you figure that out
Come find me once again
I’m sure I’ll tell you one more time
That your life is not something to understand.”
10 years later at 35
I felt I had my life under control
I sought out the old man once again
He’d lost his mind but not his soul.
“Hey old man, remember me?
I finally took your advice
I got my life together now
It just took a little time.”
Old and frail not like last time
He slowly lifted up his head
He looked at me with undying eyes
And this is what he said;
“I knew that I would see you again
You think you got it straight,
But I am here on my deathbed now
And my life really isn’t that great.
I’ve lived a full and healthy life
But now it’s about time for me to go
So tell me a little about your life
But I think you won’t have much to show.
When you try to find meaning in your life
It helps you get through the day,
But everyone like you and me
Will end up in a grave.”
10 years later, at 45
I went to see him once again
Except this time he said nothing
But I like to think he listened to what I said.
“Thank you for what you told me
Every time I came to ask
For you could not tell me about my life
I know that now that I look back
At 15 I was confused,
25 I was smug;
At 35 I was confident,
But now all I want is a hug
My life has gone so fast so far
And I let it fly on by
Instead of living every moment
I tried to understand my life
My life does not have a specific meaning
My life does not have a specific amount of time
Life can only be lived in moments
Moments I let slip on by
You could not teach me this lesson
I had to learn myself
But everyday I think of you
And try to think of life itself.”
Our Age is Retrospective 