You think you have all this time left

You think you have all this time left with her
You think you’ll see them again
You think time is this vast ocean

You think you’ll hear her voice again
The way she squeals with pleasure,
the way she voices her disgust

You think you’ll see her face again
the delight as her eyes crinkle up
the knowing self-righteous tone
the haughty chin tilted up

You think you’ll always have him
the soft touch of their hands
the twirls across the room
flitting and flying
soaring

You hold her little hand
as she crosses the street
you’re too much of a helicopter
or more like a tiger

Mother of pearls
Father of Time
There is no more time
You realize

We are merely renting
space on this dimension
time in this place
particles mingling
forever entangled

But all we have
is just memories
glimpses and
glimmers
left

You think you have all this time left
So you avoid
you minimize
the time you spend
with her
with him
with them

You think you have all this time left
so you wait
you put your dreams on hold
you fill up all your time
with other people’s stuff
with worries of not enough

You think you have all this time left
yet it’s not enough
it’s never enough
until it’s too late
they’re gone
too soon

You think you have all this time left
until one by one
they vanish
you sit in rooms
filled with people
wondering if you ever knew this person
as much as the ones telling their stories

Each person only has a piece of the story
a sliver of time
You think you knew him
You think you have all this time
but the truth is,
all you have is
the guilty
now

(Note: Listen to this as you read this poem)