This was written for my son Ross, on his thirtieth birthday.
Time rules the passage of our lives
We divide it from millenia down to thousandths of a second
We use it to measure and to compete
We use it to prosecute and to remunerate.
We mark the milestones of our lives
We use them as aides memoire.
The first day of school
New rules
Be on time
Stand in line.
We saw you at this milestone
We dried your tears and allayed your fears.
Suddenly, your treasures packed, you dashed toward the mortarboard
Leaving behind Giant Land Snails and holes in other lives
This time the tears shed were ours
We dealt with pining dogs and adjusted our emotions.
You sucked in knowledge and took lessons in love
You learned that tides can turn while you are busy staring at the Moon.
You didn't run home and hide under a duvet waiting for a cure
You left the wounds to lick themselves and headed onwards
Time now morphed to deadlines and salary expectations
Ambition grew with confidence and hair length.
We watched from a distance, proud but surrounded by eggshells
The Shepherds whose lamb was replaced by a Lion.
You kept calm (Sometimes) and carried on
Each deadline met, each new success, adding to the whole
The structure gaining both strength and wisdom with it's vintage
Still learning, still maturing, still improving.
Embrace this latest milestone
Keep it safe, it's your platform to reach for the stars!!
(TEMPUS FUGIT)
But so do Eagles, and how beautiful are they?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Owain Glyn
